Beach Mate
by SoftNoodle
Summary: AU SessKag. Summertime is no time to lose one's wallet, but for Kagome, it leads to more than chance meetings and strange jobs in her little town. And she never thought that she'd get her wallet back in such strange circumstances.
1. Chapter 1

SM: So I suppose that I should prove that I'm alive and well, twitching at least, every once in a while. Thus, here I am doing something which I promised myself I wouldn't. Starting another fic. Here, I pray that it's short so I can finish it, get it out of my system, and update other things. Unfortunately I've been bitten by a writing bug that doesn't want to stick to any particular story...or even theme. Bleh

**Summary**: (AU) SessKag. Summertime is no time to lose one's wallet, but for Kagome, it leads to more than chance meetings and strange jobs in her little town. Becoming a member of the exclusive summertime resort also wasn't in the picture. And she never thought that she'd get her wallet back in such strange circumstances.

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**Beach Mate**

**Chapter One**

Kagome padded quickly after her friends, her suitcase rolling safely beside her. She knew this because the left wheel was a bit squeaky, and she comforted herself with that rhythmic squeak. Whenever the wheel stopped squeaking, then she had a problem.

She hurried along, her ticket, wallet, and passport clutched in one hand, while her other grasped the handle of her suitcase. Her friends were way ahead of her. She pushed her glasses up her nose. They were running late for their flight, and she had been slow getting through customs. But hey, it wasn't her fault that her examiner didn't know how to open a stuck zipper she mused as she pushed her glasses up her nose.

Her steps quickened as she began to lose sight of her friends in the ever thickening crowd of the airport. Damn…why did she have to have slept in late today of all days? But it seemed odd. She distinctly remembered setting her alarm clock the previous night. But it never went off… Maybe she turned it off without fully waking up and went back to sleep? It was possible.

Well, now was not the time. Her friends were way ahead of her now. She pulled her bag in closer and sprinted after them. Not the best idea she quickly realized, as she slammed into another body. Her stuff scattered to the floor, her glasses clattering beside them.

"Omigosh! I'm so sorry!" Kagome stood quickly, giving a low, but hasty, bow. "I'm really in a hurry and late for my flight. I hope you're alright. My deepest apologies. Sorry sir!" She called. She stooped down, quickly recollecting her fallen articles before dashing off again, heedless of the man she had just run down. She ran, replacing the glasses on her nose as she puttered forward.

The man stood slowly, brushing himself off and bending to pick up his wallet. "Strange girl." He murmured, golden eyes following her hasty beeline through the crowd.

Kagome made it to the gate to see Inuyasha on the other side, urging her to hurry along. Everyone else had boarded the plane already. She gave a breathless nod, walking up to the attendant. She handed over her ticket and passport. The ticket cleared no problem, but the attendant gave a slight frown at her passport. "Miss?" The attendant asked, holding up Kagome's passport.

Her eyes widened. What the hell? Huge goofy glasses had been drawn onto her image in permanent ink. That wouldn't be too much of a problem, but the glasses had been shaded in, effectively cutting out half her face. That wouldn't be accepted! Her face fell. She was going to kill her brother for this. Only her brother would have done such a thing to her.

"It's not that big of a problem, miss." The attendant said politely. "Do you have other forms of identification? Driver's license?"

Kagome brightened. "Yeah!" Her wallet was already in hand. She opened it to pull out her drivers license only to find a stranger's face staring back at her. Complex kanji decorated where her name should have been, and a face she'd never seen before had replaced her own. What? She flipped through the wallet. Credit cards, business cards, and a wad of money that wasn't hers filled the spaces that should have held her phone numbers, boba cards, and the pittance she called her allowance. Oh god, this wasn't her wallet. She must have switched wallets with the guy she knocked over!

She paled, shaking her head sadly at her bewildered friend. "Sorry Inuyasha,"

"What? You lost your license!" He stared incredulous at her. His head swung back toward the plane as they announced the last boarding call. "Kagomeeeee…" He whined, stamping a foot. "Come on! Give 'em your school ID, a library card, jeez, even one of those stupid sticky pics you make me pay three bucks for in those booths will do!"

"Umm…" Kagome shifted, looking down at the open wallet in her hands. She would have gladly handed over any of those items…if she had them. Unfortunately, they were all stowed away in her wallet, the one she was currently not in possession of… Man, she hoped that the other man wouldn't be too angry with her when he discovered the wallet he was holding wasn't his.

What should she do? She needed to return this wallet. Why oh why did he buy the same cheap black wallet that she did, and then stuff it full of expensive stuff? She wanted to find that man right away and give him back his wallet, but the trip! They had been planning it for months. She had been saving for weeks! She clenched her eyes shut and turned to face her friend. "I'm really sorry, Inuyasha. It looks like I can't go. Just go on and have a good time without me." She said smiling, the slight sad note in her voice betraying her true emotion. She _really_ had wanted to go…

Inuyasha gaped like a landed fish. "WHAT?"

The attendant gave her a pitying look. Kagome seemed to be an honest girl, and obviously the victim of a cruel prank.

"It's against regulations…" She began quietly, motioning with one hand. Kagome quickly understood that she meant that the attendant would turn a blind eye if Kagome boarded. But Kagome shook her head, clutching the wallet to her chest. She had to return the wallet and get hers back. She needed the contents of her wallet more than she wanted to go on the trip. They were going to fly to some of the Southernmost islets of Japan to play on beaches and climb mountains. She had been looking forward to it so much...

"Sorry Yasha…" She said sadly.

The attendant nodded. "Alright miss. Sorry about that. Perhaps next time." Then she turned and placed a hand on Inuyasha's shoulder. "Sir, if you'll come this way. It's time to board the plane."

Inuyasha's body turned unresistingly, but he kept his gaze focused on Kagome. Confused and slightly hurt, he mouthed 'why?'

Kagome could only offer him a small shrug, her shoulders hunching in guilt. She stood at the gate until the plane had taken off and was lost to her sight. She sighed, bowing her head. Well, this turned out to be the start of a rather crappy summer. Well, might as well see if she could get her wallet.

She walked to the Lost and Found and asked if a wallet identical to the one she held had been reported or turned in at all. There had not been. She frowned, figuring the man to have either left the airport already, or for him to be in a place she could not reach for it had been sometime before since they had swapped wallets. Well, either way, it did not seem that the other man realized that he had the wrong wallet for she had not heard any reports about the missing wallet. She assumed that a rich person like that would want their belongings returned right away; especially since the wallet contained cards for some very costly expense accounts.

Next tactic. She flipped open the wallet and looked at the identification. Shirou Sesshoumaru. Hm…that name rang a bell with her, but she couldn't place it. Shrugging she found a business card for the owner of the wallet and looked up the contact numbers, which there were several. She pulled out her cellphone and began dialing. Twenty minutes later, she snapped her phone shut with an exasperated sigh. Each and every number had some haughty secretary on the line, dutifully informing her that 'Shirou-san' was away on vacation and could not to disturbed.

Whatever.

She was tired, annoyed, and exhausted. Time to go home and raise hell.

-:- -:- -:-

Kagome slammed the door behind her. She _knew_ her brother was in the next room. She could _feel_ his smirk radiating from him. She marched in, dropping her bags noisily along the way.

Ah, there he lay in the living room, sprawled on his stomach on the couch, clad in shorts and a tee. Hair tied back, book in hand, smiling so _innocently_. Grrrr…the monster.

But instead of running over there and trying to peel that smirk of his face with her bare hands as she oh-so-really wanted to, she restrained herself. She folded her hands behind her back and smiled sweetly. "Hello onii-chan." She greeted.

"Oh? Back so soon already?" The devil's smirk was inlaid in that voice.

Kagome nodded. "Yup. It seemed there was a problem with my passport." She answered sweetly.

Her brother's eyes did not stray from the book in his hand. "Really? And what would that be?" Was the innocent reply.

"That some jerk decided to be an idiot!" Kagome screamed and started slapping at her brother's head with her passport.

"Gaaah!" The book went flying as the hapless man tried to cover his head.

"Why-did-you-do-that-to-me!" She demanded, punctuating each word with another smack to the head.

"Hey!" Grabbing a hold of his sister's arm, he managed to wrench the passport away and fling it across the room. "C'mon Kagome, it was just a joke." He said grinning.

Kagome glowered at him. "Well, you can stuff it. You're the unfunniest man I know, Naraku!" She shouted before twisting from his grip and running up the stairs. She ran to her room and slammed the door behind her. "Jerk!" She yelled.

"But at least it kept you here for the summer, with me." Naraku murmured to himself.

-:- -:- -:-

Kagome allowed herself a scream of frustration into her pillow. She didn't get him, not at all! Sometimes, Naraku was so kind to her, and at other times he became the devil himself, the older brother from hell.

Granted that they were not related by blood, but rather they had been placed together at the orphanage due to their rather close ages. As time passed, all the way into entering adulthood, it seemed as if no one wanted to adopt the two children with strangely colored eyes. It kind of hurt to realize that they were unwanted children, but at least they had each other.

But as much as she loved him, she wondered at times, why he felt it necessary to torment her the way he did. He _knew_ how much the trip had meant to Kagome. She didn't exactly have a lot of money, and she worked hard for her earnings. Her other friends could afford the trip much easier than she could, so there would be other trips for them.

For Kagome, she had taken off her entire summer to go a trip with close friends and forget about her troubles at home. It was selfish of her, but unlike her, Naraku had a much simpler time earning money. He was one of those people who could afford to go out often. So she hadn't felt too bad about leaving him behind as he often left without her. Although, to be fair, he had always asked if she wanted to come along, and each time she had declined due to school or work.

Still, it wouldn't be until next year until she could go on such a trip again, and even then, she wasn't sure she would go. The summer held a lot of job opportunities, a good chance to make some relatively easy money.

Kagome sighed and weighed her options. Might as well not dawdle away her summer. She decided that tomorrow she would go out and look for a job. After all, whenever Inuyasha and the others returned, she would want to be sure to get them each a nice gift as an apology. She had not been the only one looking forward to Kagome attending the trip.

But for now, she was exhausted. It had been a long day, and the lengthy bus ride to and from the airport had taken its toll. She rolled over in bed and closed her eyes.

-:- -:- -:-

"Bahahahahah!" Bankotsu threw his head back and laughed as his best friend glared at him from over the rim of his drink.

"Shut up." Naraku muttered.

Red in the face and a huge grin on his lips, Bankotsu leaned forward. "She hates you now man! That's too funny!"

Naraku shot him a sour look. He swirled his drink absent-mindedly, frowning to himself. That had not been what he wanted. He had simply wanted to keep Kagome from leaving, that was all.

Bankotsu sobered at his friend's expression. "Well, what did you expect?" He asked seriously. "You kind of did screw her over unexpectedly."

Naraku shrugged. He had done what he had to do to keep her with him, even if that included turning off her alarm clock and vandalizing her passport. He had even sabotaged her suitcase so the stuck parts would become even more difficult to unstuck.

Bankotsu's lips twisted. "You know, you can't keep doing this to her. Sooner or later, she's bound to figure it out. You're probably better off if you tell her yourself. Before things get weird."

Eyes narrowed to crimson slits, Naraku lowered his glass, the cup landing on the table with a barely audible thump. "Things will never become _weird_ between us." He iterated icily.

Bankotsu threw his hands up in defense. "I didn't mean it like that, but you know what I meant. She doesn't have a clue, she's too focused on trying to do things for others and better herself. Being her 'older brother,' you know she looks up to you, though I don't know why. You make money and seem to be successful without even trying. She's just trying to catch up. Jeez, I bet come tomorrow, she'll already be dressed up all pretty and looking for a job."

A dark brow quirked. "She probably will be." Naraku muttered. He should have anticipated that. Kagome was too industrious to sit still for long. Simply because a vacation had been denied to her didn't mean that she would sit quietly at home and wait for him to return from work. He would have preferred that as it would keep her safe within the house, but she would hate it.

The next best thing would be to keep her near… He could do that. After all, The Beach was hiring. They were always looking for new bodies, but he'd have to take precautions. He wouldn't want her to be Invited, ever, especially by those who roamed The Beach.

-:- -:- -:-

"Where are you going?" A deep voice asked from behind her.

Kagome stopped short, her hand on the doorknob. She turned. What was Naraku doing up so early? He rarely ever woke before noon. But there he was, lounging at the kitchen table. He looked as if he had been waiting for her.

"I'm going out." She replied ambiguously, still miffed about her brother's antics from yesterday.

Crimson eyes scanned her. "Not like that you're not." He replied smoothly.

"What's wrong with how I'm dressed!" She demanded angrily. Who was he to nitpick her? She'd seen him go out once in only a pair of boxer shorts and a hair tie!

Naraku refrained from frowning. There was nothing wrong with how she was dressed. She wore a pair of form-fitting capris, a v-neck cut shirt, and a light jacket. In all, she looked very nice, but that was the problem. He didn't want her to look so nice outside. "Where are your glasses?" He asked.

Her lips twisted. "I'm wearing my contacts, or has that become a crime in this house?" She asked sarcastically. Most of the time, she avoided her contacts because they were uncomfortable. She just couldn't get used to having a lens sit directly on her eye. And as much as she loved her glasses, she might as well be wearing bottle caps. The lenses of her glasses were thick and round, magnifying her eyeballs so it appeared as if it swallowed half her face. Not the best impression for a job interview.

Besides, they lived on the coast, and for some reason, one saw fewer people with glasses on the coast than in the city. She couldn't help it if she was a beach loving girl, so contacts it was.

Naraku's lips thinned. He turned his head and said nothing. Kagome huffed, dismissing her was he? Why was he being such a jerk? She stomped out of the house slamming the door behind her. Her brother was such a jerk!

He frowned as he watched her leave. Damn it. He ran a hand irately through his hair. He hadn't wanted to piss her off, but somehow, he just wasn't able to convey what he wanted to her clearly. It got jumbled terribly along the way and she always took it badly. He just… He frowned. He didn't want her to leave him.

-:- -:- -:-

Kagome's ire evaporated quickly as she walked down the streets. She just wasn't a person to hold onto grudges or anger. She sighed. Maybe she had been a bit too hasty in snapping at her brother, but sometimes he just made her so mad. She kind of wanted to run back and apologize…

She shook her head. No, it wasn't her fault. Her brother was wrong in this instance. She wouldn't apologize. But maybe on the way home, she'd pick up some special groceries and cook him dinner. He'd be bound to be home late, he always worked late. She would wait for him though. It'd be nice to eat together.

A half smile on her lips, Kagome strode down the boulevard, a newspaper clipping of help wanted ads grasped in one hand.

-:- -:- -:-

"Where is she now?" Naraku demanded, unconsciously pressing his cellphone closer to his ear.

"Hang on, hang on! Damn that girl walks fast! Whoops!" On the other end of the line, Bankotsu dove behind a car as Kagome turned slightly. All the while, he wondered how it was that his friend had roped him into trailing his sister for the day. He felt like a stalker.

"Okay, she just entered the sandwich shop." He reported dutifully, meanwhile his stomach grumbled. He had skipped his lunch to stalk his best friend's sister. He should just walk in there and grab some grub, it wasn't like she _knew_ that she was being followed. Besides, he was starting to get some weird stares.

"That's fine. I know the owner. He won't hire her." Naraku replied easily.

"That's cold man. The owner's a nice guy. What'd you get on him that he wouldn't hire her. He loves that girl, everyone does." Bankotsu muttered into his phone.

"The owner's also a gambler with a hefty debt. I helped him out last month." Naraku answered smugly. He had stayed up late last night hunting through the wanted ads and the dirt on those that had put up the ads. For the most part, he had many of the employers under his thumb one way or another. He couldn't help it if he was a rather well known guy in this tiny suburb.

Naraku heard his friend sigh over the line.

"Whatever man. Look, I don't think she's gonna get a bite today. Looks like you did a good job, nothing but bad news all day. I'll keep an eye on her while she's still out, but, I'm gonna have to hang up on you. I need food. Call you if anything comes up." Bankotsu said tiredly. He was really hungry.

"All right." Was the easy reply.

Bankotsu shook his head. He could hear the smirk in his friend's voice. "Yeah, well you owe me for this. Later." He hung up quickly. His stomach came before courtesy.

He strode over to the sandwich shop in time to see Kagome coming out from the back. Her face, while not dejected, was a bit disappointed. Bankotsu had expected this. As high spirited as Kagome was, one could only be rejected so many times before she got a little down. So he grinned. "Hey Kagome, whatcha doing here?"

"Oh!" She started slightly, not expecting to have run into anyone she knew, mostly since all her friends were on vacation. "Hello Bankotsu. What's up?"

He smiled. "I'm here for a late lunch and you're looking a bit down. Care to talk about it? My treat?" He waved his hand to indicate the shop.

She gave him a weak smile. "Um...how about the café across the street?" She asked blushing. She'd rather not relate to him the story of her utter failure of a day while in one of the shops she'd been rejected from.

"Alright." He answered grinning. Then he saw the shop. Crap, it was _Howl_. Well, he had already agreed... That and Kagome was already halfway across the street. He jogged to catch up with her.

She paused at its entrance. "I've never been here before." She murmured as she peered through the glass.

"There's a first time for everything." Bankotsu grinned. He held open the door for her.

"Thanks." She bowed her head slightly as she entered.

"No problem." He smiled.

The café was nice, he had to admit. The ceiling was domed and painted a deep indigo reaching into black, and was dotted with tiny lights. A full moon was offset from the center of the dome, giving off a soft luminescent glow. The walls were painted as deep forest, covering all the walls, the trees reaching to the ceiling. Small bulb lights were attached to the walls, giving the only other illumination beside the moon. All the furniture and counters were of dark polished hardwood.

The café was dimly lit, and dark in appearance, but it gave off a homely feel. It was soothing but lively. Soft rock music played from speakers set around the café, strategically utilizing the acoustics from the dome. A brilliant set up really.

Bankotsu followed Kagome to a small booth near the corner. It almost looked like she was hiding to him, but he sat down wordlessly. Today must have really affected her, he realized. He'd have to go scold Naraku later. As much as he liked Naraku as a friend, he couldn't keep doing this to his sister, it wasn't right, even if Naraku had his own reasons for it.

They were joined shortly after by a pigtailed redhead waitress in a dark green outfit. She smiled winningly and jotted down their orders, a club sandwich with fries and coke for Bankotsu, and BLT with avocado and curly fries and a Dr Pepper for Kagome. She grinned and left.

Bankotsu gave a tiny sigh of relief. He hadn't been recognized. So far so good. He turned and smiled at Kagome, who was wolfing down her food. At least her appetite seemed unaffected. She gave a sheepish smile in reply.

"So?" He began. "Why are you so down?" He asked.

She sighed heavily. "Well, um…I guess I'm just too unskilled."

He raised a brow. What did that mean?

"I was out looking for a summer job, actually." Kagome continued. "But I came up nothing everywhere. Heh, maybe it's how I look. I mean, I still do pass for a High Schooler." She added wryly.

Bankotsu held his tongue from making a rather crass comment. It was only her naiveté that kept her young. Her body _definitely_ wasn't that of a High Schooler.

Their waitress returned with their food and drink, and Bankotsu changed the subject. He never liked to see a girl frown, especially not Kagome. He gave a partial account of him running into her, how he had 'accidentally' followed her for a while, and began to receive strange looks from the people who saw him. He had 'stalked' her. She laughed good-naturedly, never believing that he would actually doing something so shady. Bankotsu gave an inward smile of relief. Her brother had acted in what he thought was her best interest, even if he was being selfish. He figured it wa the least he could do, since Naraku had roped him into such a hideous scheme, to at least raise her spirits up a bit.

It wasn't Kagome that all the people were rejecting, but Naraku's fear that they were accepting, but she couldn't know that. Naraku would never let her know what he did for her.

Bankotsu finished his food rather quickly, his stomach never being one to be denied. He sipped his soda and waited for Kagome who was only about two-thirds done, when his cell phone rang. He answered.

"Renkotsu? Ah….yeah. Now? You're kidding…" His eyes slid over to Kagome.

She smiled, knowing his internal debate of whether to go help his friends or be polite and remain with her. "Go ahead. I'll be fine by myself. I'm heading home right afterwards anyway." She offered. He would worry about her if she wandered off on her own, but she wasn't a child. She could take care of herself.

He covered the mouthpiece. "You sure?"

She nodded.

He cast her one last worried glance before slapping down a bunch of bills on the table. "I'm really sorry about this, but it looks like Jakotsu got himself into a bit of trouble. I gotta go save him and Renkotsu before they make the problem worse. I'll take you out to dinner some other day to make up, okay?" He gave her a stern look. "And order some dessert before you leave. If I find out you didn't, I'll have to take you out to ice cream too." He waved a finger at her as she laughed, nodding her head in compliance.

Then he was up, the cell pressed against his ear as he jabbered questions to Renkotsu.

Kagome finished her food, crunching down on ice cubes as she allowed her stomach to settle. Ah, nothing was as good as bacon and avocado and curly fries with an ice cold soda. She smiled. Yummy.

The waitress stopped by again. "Oh, your boyfriend left?" She asked with an eyebrow raised. The way the guy was talking to her, he seemed a bit more protective than to leave his girl by herself.

Kagome flushed. "N-no." She stammered. "He wasn't my boyfriend."

"Older brother?" She asked.

"A friend of my brother." Kagome replied.

"Ah." She nodded in a way that Kagome didn't understand. "Well, he's a gentleman, for sure." She indicated the bills Bankotsu had laid down. It was more than enough for both their meals with plenty left over.

Kagome briefly wondered what he had wanted her to order for dessert.

"Would you like anything else?" The waitress asked politely.

"Um…" Might as well not allow Bankotsu's philanthropy go to waste. "May I have a slice of chocolate cake to go?" Chocolate cake was Naraku's favorite, and Bankotsu had never specified that the dessert had to be for her.

"Sure. No problem." She picked up the plates and cleared the table. Then as she was turning away, she suddenly swung her head around. "Hey, I was wondering if you were looking for a job. I saw you wandering around town earlier today, and all your stops matched today's wanted ad." She called over her shoulder.

Kagome blushed deeply. So someone had seen her rejections. "Uh…"

The waitress grinned reassuringly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about those other shop owners. They have no idea what they've let go. Just do a quick interview with my boss. I'm sure he'll give you a job. You're suited for this place." She said confidently.

Kagome smiled back. That was certainly nice of her. And the café didn't seem too bad. "You're hiring?" She questioned. Kagome hadn't seen anything in the paper about this café.

"Starting today. We just lost a waitress, and it's a bit hard by myself." The redhead replied with a grin.

"Oh." She held out her hand. "Thanks for the offer, then. My name's Kagome, and I'd be glad to try out for a position here."

The waitress laughed, taking her hand. "No need for formality." She pointed to her nametag. "Ayame. Nice to meet you."

With something akin to a mix of joy and relief in her voice, Kagome smiled back and replied, "you too."

-:- -:- -:-

Bankotsu ran into Kagome as she was exiting the café. His eyes widened. Was she just leaving now? He'd been gone over two hours since he had left her. "Kagome?"

She turned, beaming at him, a white paper box tucked under one arm, another larger box tucked under the other. "Banktosu!" She cried happily. She set her parcels on a nearby bench and jumped to hug the man. "Thanks so much!"

"Uh…for what?" He asked confused.

"I got a job!" She beamed at him. "The owner here is really nice, and hired me right away. If it weren't for you, I was afraid I'd go home today after wasting a day." She bubbled.

"You…got a job?" Banktosu paled. "_Here_?"

She nodded.

He was so dead. Naraku was gonna kill him.

Then she turned. "Oh, here he comes now!" She exclaimed, oblivious to Bankotsu's paling demeanor.

Bankotsu's eyes snapped up to the café's door.

"Oi, Kagome, I just wanted to wish you a safe trip home…" The trailed off as he spied Banktosu. "Hey, Bank." He said carelessly.

"Hello Kouga." The braided man replied tonelessly. Shit! Of all the places and of all the people, it was Kouga and his cafe where Kagome had found a job. Well, for her sake, he wouldn't tear into the wolf-like man, just yet.

"Oh, you two know each other?" Kagome asked innocently.

Kouga shot her a winning grin. "Not per se. We just have a mutual acquaintance." He answered cockily, shooting a glare over her head at Bankotsu, who glared back. Then he patted her shoulder, his expression softening. "Can't wait to see you tomorrow. You think you got it down all right?"

She nodded. "You're a great teacher. I think I'll be okay." She bowed her head gratefully, meaning every word.

"I'll keep an eye out for ya." Kouga offered.

Kagome bowed again. "Thank you." She started slightly as Bankotsu grabbed her arm, still glaring at the other man.

"Let's go Kagome." He said, his voice tight with control. "I'm sure your brother is waiting for you."

"Oh yeah. I have something for him." She picked up her boxes. "Thank you again. I'll see you tomorrow." She waved.

Kouga waved back. "No problem. Later girl."

Bankotsu turned sharply with Kagome in tow, after taking her boxes from her. He silently seethed at the friendly way the man had treated Kagome. It bothered him deeply how casually the two had acted together. Kagome had always been kind and outgoing, but that Kouga was probably born with hedgehog pins! It was obvious that Kouga had been rather taken with Kagome for him to have acted so openly. That pissed him off. Kagome, oblivious to the source of his ire, looked at him concerned.

"Are you okay?" She asked worriedly.

He nodded stiffly. She frowned, looping her arms around his shoulders in a loose hug. "Smile now, Bankotsu. Frowns don't suit you. And you didn't get any dessert yet. So, come over for some cake. Your treat." She grinned and opened up one of the boxes she carried to reveal a lovely chocolate frosted whole cake. It was one of _Howl's_ specialty cakes. Moist black chocolate cake with a bittersweet chocolate cream frosting, and sweet-glazed strawberries.

He laughed. So that's what she had done with his money? No, those cakes were rather expensive. Kouga have probably given it to her. Well then he was sure to eat it, even if Kouga had meant it to be a personal gift, it still came from her. He nodded, giving her a genuine smile. "Okay." Might as well enjoy the calm before the storm.

-:- -:- -:-

Sesshoumaru entered the office, nodding politely at the elder man seated behind the large, dark polished desk.

"Is there anything I can offer you Sesshoumaru?" The man greeted as the white-haired man sat down in the proffered seat.

Sesshoumaru seemed to consider the offer for a moment. He had come to this coastal city with the purpose of reinforcing his late-father's contacts and contracts. He would make it so that there would be hardly any loss in power during his transition as head of his father's business. And if he could help it, perhaps strengthen such links. He had many much more ambitioius ideas than his father had dared to pursue. Yet the man he dealt with currently was a more 'fun-loving' person, so to speak. Beginning straight-off with business was sure to make him appear less interesting in the other's eyes.

"I am looking for a woman." He answered.

The man raised his brows in surprise. "I never figured you to be that type of man." He commented, a grin in his tone.

"She has something of mine of some importance." Sesshoumaru clarified.

"Oh?" His curiousity perked. "Who is she?" The man questioned.

"I do not know." Sesshoumaru replied. "I encountered her as I was leaving the airport yesterday."

"Hm...any interesting traits? To have captured your attention she must have had something special about her." He asked, raising a hand to his chin. Sesshoumaru had taken an interest in a woman? And only after one encounter. It was intriguing. He had entertained the rumors that Touga's eldest had been gay. It had made things more interesting that way. He had once sent a male stripper to Sesshoumaru's office, but to his disappointment, Touga had intercepted his gift. Ah, he could only picture the look of horror had his package made it through security. And to think that he wasn't gay after all. Darn.

Well, whoever this woman was, he was going to find her, if only to see what kind of woman could capture Sesshoumaru's attention so.

"Black hair and blue eyes. About twenty years old. Japanese. Youthful." Sesshoumaru described concisely. A flash of brilliant blue eyes, framed by the darkest black hair had flashed through his mind. Out of all the faceless people he had seen in that airport, ranging from the flight attendants who had flirted to him, to that nervous man who was his chauffer, only her face had stood out to him.

"Hm…strange coloring for a Japanese." The older man said consideringly. "Perhaps…there is a place I frequent. They specialize in odd coloring of attractive people. They collect the exotic beauties you could say. It is possible she is employed there, that is, if she is still in Japan."

"She is." Sesshoumaru replied confidently. With her wallet in his hands, there was no way she could have boarded a plane without her identification. "What is that place?"

Ryuukossei smirked. "It's called The Beach."

-:- -:- -:-

-:- -:- -:-

-:- -:- -:-

SM: I hope I didn't lose anyone on this lil trip. No idea when updates will come around, but they will, just like all things, come eventually. (smile)

And remember, I keep misc stuff in my livejournal, every once in a while posting a rough "something" in there, but mostly it's just me ranting and making excuses to why I'm not writing.


	2. Chapter 2

SM: Wherein I try to further the plot, and thus bury it beneath filler.

-:- -:- -:-

-:- -:- -:-

-:- -:- -:-

**Chapter Two**

Work was fun. There was no other way for her to express herself than that of sheer joy. She loved working with Ayame and Kouga! They were two of the nicest people she had ever met. And then there was Ginta and Hakkaku, the funniest waiters ever. They would often trip over each other or themselves in their zeal. And yet, they never once spilled or broke a dish. In fact, it seemed each member of _Howl_'s employees possessed some kind of unnatural grace. It was amazing. And they were so cute!

She smiled as she whirled through the café. One part of _Howl_ that was essential was expedient service. Kagome never knew she could move so fast or well, but she was able to accomplish her tasks just as Kouga had trained her. He was really a good teacher, and Ayame couldn't help but be impressed as well.

The redhead would often throw her a wink when some of the male patrons vocally showed their appreciation toward the waitresses. Ayame had said it was part of the job to be 'friendly.' It was all in good fun and seemed innocent enough, so Kagome flirted back. Her brother would kill her for sure if he found out, but she liked this job too much. So, she was going to do her darn best to keep it from him. She had already sworn Bankotsu to silence, despite her initial fear that Naraku would find out right away.

It was strange and lucky at the same time. By the time she had made it home with Bankotsu, her cake, and her uniform in tow on the day she had gotten her job, her elder brother had already been completely hammered. She wasn't sure what he was thinking for noonday drinking, but she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. She had gotten a job, and now a means to keep the specifics somewhat a secret. She relayed an abridged version of the job hunt to her brother, who seemed more interested in glaring at Bankotsu than paying any attention to her.

Still, she had received a jerky nod of approval before he dove at the cake. Incidentally, he knocked Bankotsu off the bench he had been sharing with Kagome, and took up his friend's place, seemingly not noticing the man now sprawled on the floor. She was sure that Naraku would get an earful from Bankotsu later.

She had gotten away with her little fib, and she couldn't have been happier. She was employed with a well-paying job, to a friendly boss, and a great work environment, and her brother had approved!

Her grin brightened. This summer was looking up.

-:- -:- -:-

Naraku glared at Bankotsu. His friend tried to ignore him, but Naraku's piercing crimson glare was not one that could be avoided for long. Bankotsu shifted his dark colored eyes toward his friend before darting them away quickly. Naraku was suspicious, and he was pissed. Not a good combination. But he couldn't keep pretending he didn't notice. Finally, he gave a resigned sigh, and met his friend's gaze evenly.

"You got me drunk yesterday." Naraku accused, his voice as smooth and level as always.

Bankotsu did not allow himself to be swayed by Naraku's even tone, he knew his friend far too well for that. "No." He answered, his own voice careful.

Naraku's expression relaxed, his gaze fixing on some idle place. "Yesterday, before Kagome returned with you, Jakotsu paid me a visit. Apparently he had just returned from a scuffle of some sort from which you aided Renkotsu and himself." He tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of the chair he was sitting on.

"He said that he was dropping it off a bottle of bourbon for you, but we drank it instead. I know my limits Bankotsu, half of the tiny bottle of booze would do almost nothing to me, but instead I was as drunk as a sailor. What are you keeping from me?" His sharp gaze pinned his friend with their intensity.

Okay, Naraku was serious. That was bad. He had only meant to stall Naraku a bit with the booze as he didn't want him to know that he had taken Kagome out to lunch at _Howl_. Not only did Naraku and Kouga hate each other's guts, they were veritable rivals, professionally. But things had escalated, and now how the hell was he supposed to explain that he allowed her to get a _job_ at _Howl_? Naraku would make sure that he somehow had an accident sometime this month. It wouldn't be fatal, but it would be no less pleasant, he was sure.

Kagome was Naraku's treasure, and he made sure his 'friends' knew it.

But there was no other way he could weasel out of this, Bankotsu knew. He was supposed to have watched Kagome, and he had neglected her. Might as well face the firing squad.

_Sorry Kagome._

He grimaced slightly before relaying the answer Naraku wanted. Needless to say, he was far from happy.

-:- -:- -:-

The house was dark when Kagome returned home. It was a bit odd, since Naraku usually left a light on or so somewhere in the house, even if he had not come home from work yet. It made her a bit suspicious. But, she was tired, and assumed that maybe her brother just forgot this time. Her apron was hung over one arm, and she was half changed out of uniform, too tired to change fully before coming home. She had changed the skirt to her more durable jeans, but her top was still the lacy blouse of _Howl_. She rubbed her eyes carefully as she was wearing her contacts, quietly flicked on the living room light and almost screamed.

Her brother was seated directly before her, facing her.

He looked none too happy.

Kagome wilted, her mood withering. "Um…" What had she done wrong now?

Then his expression softened. "You're home late." He said quietly.

"Kouga-kun had me work an extra shift since Ginta-kun got into an accident." She replied softly, slightly wary of her brother. He had such a protective streak sometimes. "I volunteered for it." She informed him quickly, hoping that he wouldn't get the wrong idea of Kouga working her too hard. She really liked the job, and it was fun. She didn't mind the extra shift on her first day at all, and Ayame said that she was a quick learner.

He gave a slow nod. "I see." Then he stood up and was suddenly behind her, removing her things from her arms. "Kagome, you've worked too long today. Have a seat." He gently pushed her toward the couch, his tone concerned.

She relinquished her things without a fuss and allowed herself to be seated on the couch. "Um…you're not mad at me?" She asked so quietly, her voice was a tiny squeak.

She could almost feel his smile. "Not at all, Kagome. I was just worried. It's not like you to not call in when you're coming late."

Oops! She could have smacked herself. She just got too carried away with work. The café had excellent business, and there was almost no down time. She was always on her toes there.

"Sorry." She replied meekly. "Were you waiting up for me?" Guilt was eating steadily away at her conscience. She was already keeping her work habits a secret from him, and having her forget to call, and then him waiting up for her…

Naraku sat down beside her. "Yes. I was sad that you didn't call me. I came home from work early hoping to do something with you today."

The knife of guilt twisted in her gut.

"This isn't like you Kagome." He said softly. "Are you really that mad at me, about the trip?"

"No!" Kagome almost shouted. She had forgotten about that already. Her summer wasn't so bad here, and she could go on a trip another time, with as well as Kouga was paying her. It was nothing like that. She had just gotten careless. "I…" She wasn't sure what to say. "I'm sorry, Naraku. This has nothing to do with that. I just got carried away I guess. I'm sorry." She bowed her head, her hair shadowing her face so she was unable to see his expression.

"Do you really have that much more fun away from home than with me?" Naraku asked.

"No! I love spending time with you, but it's just…you work long and odd hours sometimes, and I get lonely. I wanted a job to occupy my time and…I kind of want to make money…" She finished weakly.

His arms snaked around her, drawing her into an embrace. "I work so you don't have to." He said quietly into her hair.

"But-" She was cut off as his arms tightened about her midsection.

"Kagome, you don't have to work. I work enough for both of us, and make more than enough money. This isn't your responsibility, you know. Just staying here with me is enough. Don't work if you don't have to." He said gently.

Her face flushed. Her brother was earnest, he really didn't want her to work. But she knew that he knew that she _wanted_ to work. She wanted to work to be independent. She didn't want to have to be a burden to her brother for her entire life. He deserved free time and fun too. But for the moment, she nodded.

"Just this summer." She said quietly. "Let me work this summer, and I won't work during the school year, or next summer." She promised.

Naraku was silent for a moment, considering. "Just this summer?"

"Yes." She nodded her head vigorously, her face still buried into his shoulder, her voice muffled by his shirt.

She would do as her brother told her, and when it looked like he was growing tired of it, she would go look for a job. She didn't want to drag him down. Naraku worked hard, and deserved whatever benefits he earned. She couldn't be the one to hold him back. Whenever she had enough money, she would move out, she planned silently.

"All right." He agreed.

A sigh of relief escaped her and she fell into her brother's embrace, not noticing the smirk which crossed his features.

-:- -:- -:-

An application was slid across the desk, slipping from the fax machine and across the smooth surface of polished mahogany. Sounga picked it up and skimmed the information. Most of it was a note in very familiar handwriting. That flowing script was impossible to not recognize. He took special note since it was the first time the person had ever made such a request. He eyed the picture. It was a candid photo of a young woman leaning against a rail. The girl was attractive. Her body was young and shapely. Her face held the innocence and charm of youth, and her expression was untarnished by hardships, but still compassionate.

She was a cutie, though that true innocence didn't seem like it truly belonged in his institution.

But those blue eyes were especially captivating. Added to the fact that she was recommended by his highest paid employee cinched it.

He would hire her.

Come next week, Higurashi Kagome would be working for The Beach.

-:- -:- -:-

Ayame skidded to a stop in front of Kagome, green eyes wide.

"Kagome! Oh, I'm so glad you're here!" She threw her arms around the startled girl.

"Did I miss something?" Kagome asked.

Ayame held Kagome's shoulders, pushing her out at arms length to study the other girl. "I heard from Hakkaku that you were in biiiiig trouble yesterday cuz we kept you out late. Ginta's moping about because he thinks it's his fault, and Kouga's in a sour mood. I had no idea if you would be coming in today or not." She explained.

Kagome looked bewildered. How had Hakkaku learned of that? Naraku was a private man by nature. He hardly allowed his temper to show, but if he was ever angry, boy would they be sorry. But he didn't seem too angry last night, and it was only because he worried.

"I cleared it up. I just forgot to check in, but why should that bother you guys? My brother is just a little over-protective sometimes." Kagome replied with a wry grin.

Ayame's mouth made a small 'o,' her eyes slightly wide. She stepped back, releasing the dark haired girl. "My bad I guess. I have a tendency to overreact sometimes." She gave a nervous laugh. "Well, it's good to see you here." She gave Kagome a quick hug. "Suit up, we open in fifteen minutes!" She flashed five fingers three times and grinned, pushing Kagome into the back to change.

Ginta and Hakkaku were just stepping out as she stepped in.

Hakkaku grinned brightly and slapped her on the back. "Hey Kagome! Great to see ya!"

Ginta blushed slightly and managed a shy smile. "H-hi Kagome."

Ayame hadn't been kidding when she said that Ginta blamed himself. Kagome couldn't take it, the boy was so cute! She pounced, hugging the startled teen, squeezing him tightly and reassuring him that it was nothing.

Ginta stumbled off, his face on fire, and Hakkaku laughing at his friend's predicament.

"No hug for me?" A low voice intoned.

"Kouga-kun!" Kagome greeted happily, running up to give him a friendly hug. "Morning!"

"Good morning Kagome-chan." He replied sociably, returning the embrace. He released her slowly, keeping his hands on her shoulders. "Are you alright?" He asked worriedly, his brows knit in concern.

"I'm fine!" She cried out. So many people worried over her. It wasn't like her brother was _that _scary of a person. "I was just a little careless with my brother. It won't happen again." She assured her employer. When his worried gaze wouldn't leave, she sighed and took his hands in hers. He was really sweet to worry about her, but it wasn't his problem. "I already told him, and we came up with an agreement. Everything is fine." She said confidently, giving his hands a little squeeze.

He nodded slowly. "If you're okay with it then." He replied softly.

She grinned brightly. "I knew you'd understand." She stepped up on her toes and gave him a small peck on the cheek. "Thank you so much, but now, out! I need to change." And with that, she ushered her boss out of the changing room, and closed the door.

He stood frozen outside for a moment, his a slight blush rising on his cheeks. He rubbed the kissed cheek absently before shaking the daze from his head. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Her brother? Naraku?" He cast one worried glance at the closed door before walking away. No matter what, he'd watch over the girl. She was far too sweet and innocent a thing to be related to that monster.

-:- -:- -:-

Naraku lounged casually at the beachside bar. In one hand he gingerly sipped at a chilled fruit soda. He wasn't kept waiting long before he was met by another dark-haired man.

"Boss says you've got another girl for him." Takemaru greeted.

Naraku sneered. "She's not for him. She's for me. And I intend to carry out her affairs by myself." He pointed out.

Takemaru nodded. "Fair enough. Sounga told me you'd most likely be picky about this girl. I can see why though. I took a peek at the pic you faxed. She's a cutie all right. Doesn't seem suitable for this kind a thing though. So I have to wonder, why are you putting up such an innocent thing like that for a job like this?" The other man narrowed his eyes at him.

Naraku shrugged it off. "She's my little sister."

Takemaru's eyebrows shot up. "Oh, then by all means. Her contract is fully yours to negotiate." He slid over a piece of paper. "But," he circled one segment of the contract with his index finger, "about Invitations. You know that we have no specifics on exclusivity of our clients. But we can't parade around a product and not expect some customers to want to try a sample…"

Naraku's lip curled. He placed a hand flat on the paper. "I know and understand the standard contract fully. If she gets Invited then it's up to her to accept it or not. I will hold no say on her Invitations."

Takemaru beamed. "Ah, then I have no problems here. Boss will be happy to hear that I'm sure."

"But I am going to arrange her schedule." Naraku pointed out. He had already made his demands to the boss himself, but he would allow for no loopholes. He knew that despite Takemaru's carefree attitude, the man was trying to use this discussion as a verbal agreement to get some leeway on Kagome's contract. He would have none of that.

Takemaru nodded. "Of course, of course. She's your sister. I think it's already been taken into account anyways." He patted the contract header. "Give it a quick read through. As her sponsor you can adjust it as necessary. We will be looking forward to her signature by the end of the week though."

"And _Howl's_?" Naraku gave the other man a pointed look.

He grinned. "No problem. We'll stay out of it, and make sure everyone else does too. I'm sure you'll be able to figure out something under those circumstances."

Naraku gave a terse nod.

"Good good. I'll be seeing you later." He gave a two-fingered salute of farewell and disappeared quickly.

Naraku frowned, his hand still on the contract. Sounga was by no means a harsh boss, and the fact that Naraku himself was the highest paid employee leant him some credence to Sounga's ear. But there was no way that Sounga would have met with him outside his office. That man was as paranoid as one could get. And Naraku wasn't up to visiting the main office today, so Sounga had sent his lackey to finish negotiations.

God, how Naraku hated that man, Takemaru. He had been with Sounga since before Naraku had met him, and he never could figure out their relationship. He had heard rumors that Takemaru was Sounga's son. As well as various other rumors of the more shady sort. But what he disliked the most about Takemaru was the man's careless disposition. It made it especially difficult to guess at the other man's motives.

-:- -:- -:-

Ayame held out an envelope, a worried expression crossing her face.

"What's this?" Kouga asked, taking up the envelope and opening it curiously. It was unmarked, but the way Ayame was treating it made him cautious. He scanned the contained document, his lips thinning. "Who?" He demanded, his expression hardening.

"Suikotsu delivered it." Ayame answered, her own face tense.

Kouga's eyes shot up to meet hers. "Did Kagome see?" He didn't want her seeing one of Naraku's messenger boys at his door and wonder what was going on. There were things she was better off not knowing.

The red-head shook her head in the negative. "He came in through the back. Kagome's still serving in the front."

"I see…" He folded up the paper and pocketed it. "Don't let her know." He instructed gravely.

"I won't." Ayame promised. She headed toward the door, but turned back at the last moment. "Will it be okay?" She asked worriedly. The note had to have come from Naraku. It was the only person who could have made Kouga so agitated. She knew that Naraku once had something on Kouga, but without certain elements, Naraku couldn't do much to use it against Kouga without incriminating himself. However, if those factors were removed suddenly, Naraku could take anything he desired away from Kouga.

Kouga's brows furrowed. "I don't know." He answered honestly.

"And Kagome?" Ayame asked, her voice softening. Naraku was definitely using this as a way to get Kagome. She didn't understand why Naraku was so set against Kagome working at _Howl_'s, only that the man known as the Spider was quite the nasty character. She had heard many things about him from Ginta and Hakkaku, they seemed to be truer by the moment, and they were all on the bad side of things. She wondered how it was that Kagome was so oblivious of her 'brother's' shady nature.

"I don't know." Kouga sighed, his voice even quieter.

-:- -:- -:-

Kagome fingered the wallet absently. She had yet to find the person to whom it belonged to. She carried it around with her always, just in case she might run into him again, though the chances were slim. She still had no luck with trying to contact the man either. It was becoming tiresome.

She knew that she kept some personal information in her wallet, and had clung to the hope that whoever had found it would attempt to contact her. But, after checking her cell phone several times already, she found nothing. She hoped that the man hadn't thrown her wallet away. She had several trinkets that held sentimental value stowed away within its folds.

She tucked Shirou-san's wallet away back into her purse and straightened her apron. She had just come in from break after scanning the crowds one last time. She kept thinking that if she kept looking, she might see him. It was a rather popular café after all. Many customers frequented it everyday. Yet she knew just by looking at the contents of the man's wallet, the man was no doubt some high-roller. _Howl_, as nice as it was, still was probably too common for the likes of him.

With one more sigh, she smoothed out the wrinkles in her uniform and clocked back into work.

-:- -:- -:-

"Naraku!" Kouga hissed into the phone. "What is the meaning of this?" He demanded angrily.

"Ah, got my note I take it? That was a quick delivery. My my, Bankotsu certainly has his boys well trained." Naraku replied flippantly. He smirked. He had expected that Kouga would call almost immediately in defense of such a threat.

Kouga repressed the urge to growl into the receiver. "I asked you, what the hell is this?" He shook the note with a clenched fist, despite the fact that Naraku wouldn't be able to see it. He would at least hear the rustling of paper as the note was shaken roughly.

"Just a deal, if you will." Naraku purred. "You will release your newest employee, and I'll forget all about that little incident five years ago."

Kouga's jaw clenched.

Naraku smiled to himself. He could hear the grinding of teeth from the other end.

"What do you want with her?" Kouga asked pointedly, in low tones.

Naraku frowned. "She's my sister. I think it's only fair that you release what is mine." He disliked how Kouga seemed to be unwilling to part with her. That protective note in Kouga's voice had not gone unnoticed by him. A fist clenched at his side.

"I don't care about that. What do you want with her?" Kouga demanded. Despite what dirt Naraku had on him, he wouldn't allow the slime to use Kagome the way he had been used so long ago.

Kouga heard a sigh.

"Just let her go, gently or not, I don't really care. The result will be the same to me. Fire her." Naraku ground out, his patience failing. The sooner this was done, the better. But here, the pathetic café owner was being difficult. The sooner he relinquished her employment, the sooner the pain would end.

He couldn't ask Kagome directly to quit, because then it would be blatantly manipulative and she would know that he had a hand in it. Better for her to be fired. Then he could swoop in and pick up the pieces. Though it did bother him that she would most likely be hurt by this turn of events. It was in her best interests, and he was sure that she would see it soon enough.

"Who will she be working for?" Kouga demanded. He knew that Naraku wanted her employment to be elsewhere. It was the only reason that she would need to not be working at _Howl_. At the same time, he wasn't requiring a lot of hours from her, so she could easily take on a second job.

No, there was only one other establishment that clashed with his. The only place where a person could not be employed both there and as a _Howl_ girl. "The Beach." He murmured, answering his own question.

"A prize for the puppy. He's learned a new trick, how to use his brain." Naraku stated mockingly.

"You scumbag! How could you do that to your own sister! You're whoring her out!" Kouga's angry growl issued from the phone.

Naraku's playful tone dropped immediately. "You know nothing. Release her employment contract or I'll shut you down and send you all to prison." He hung up his cell phone with an irate snap of his wrist.

"Fool." He muttered darkly, his hand fisting around the cell phone. "I will never allow Kagome to be anything other than herself."

-:- -:- -:-

Takemaru entered Sounga's office with a grin. "You were right." He said, smirking. "He's quite protective over that one."

Sounga turned slowly in his chair. "She's his beloved sister. He would do anything for her." He said lightly.

"Or to her." Takemaru added nastily.

Sounga shook his head. "You have no tact. None whatsoever." He said disparingly.

The dark-haired man shrugged. "Never been an issue before."

"Hn." Sounga grunted, turning back around in his chair.

Takemaru plopped himself down in the seat in front of Sounga's desk. "So, anyways, what's the summer line-up? Big wigs coming in soon?"

"Next week." Sounga replied, sliding a schedule toward the other.

Sharp crimson eyes scanned the sheet. "Ryuukossei's bringing _him_?" He stared at his boss. "But, isn't that guy…"

"Yes." Sounga answered. "He is _his_ son." He leaned back in his chair. "He's also quite a reserved man. Ryuukossei on the other hand, while on the loose side, is quite picky. This will be tricky to place them in the same area. Ryuukotsei will no doubt reserve his usual slot with Sesshoumaru as his guest." He sighed. "It certainly is difficult to be indebted to a deceased man. But, I will do all I can for his son."

Takemaru whistled. He'd heard the rumors about Sesshoumaru's sexuality. Was Sounga going to place them in a mixed section, or primarily female so as to not be insulting. Or was he going to try something different...

"Hey, you're not planning on trying out the _new girl_ on him are you? I mean, she's the fresh meat, and Naraku's gonna have a hernia when he finds out!" Takemaru protested, but in his mind, it did make sense.

Sesshoumaru was certainly a refined man with refined tastes, whether or not his sexuality leaned toward the fairer or the not so fairer sex. Sesshoumaru would certainly be selective about those who entertained him, and to make a good impression, they would have to offer the best they had to suit his taste. Obviously, the man wouldn't go for the slutty or flirty type, he didn't even look that much of a lolli-type. What he went for was intelligence and honesty, Takemaru knew. And looks would certainly help as well. But not the gorgeous or buxom type. It would have to be something captivating. Only one person would be that suited without being as brash and ruffling as many feathers as Kagura or Kanna..

Sounga smiled darkly. "I'm sure it would certainly piss off Ryuukotsei to some extent, to be passed up by such a girl. But with her contract already negotiated, Naraku will have no say if I'm still acting with the confines of the fixed contract." He patted the document that lay atop his desk. It was his new leash and collar on his most popular employee. Despite Naraku's strenghts, he had his weaknesses, and he had just handed it over to a man who new how to not let it go to waste. Poor fool didn't realize how little control he truly had within The Beach.

"Let us just see how useful Higurashi Kagome can be." Sounga grinned.

Takemaru grinned back.

-:- -:- -:-

Kouga rubbed his forehead tiredly. He had just closed down the café for the night, and now sat alone in his office, Naraku's note folded on his desk. He couldn't figure out what to do. If it was only his neck on the line, he would gladly refuse Naraku's deal. But it wasn't. It was his neck and that of his employees that were at stake. He couldn't risk Ayame, Ginta, and Hakkaku just because of his own stupid mistakes.

Then there was Kagome to consider. As far as he was concerned, she was a complete innocent in this situation. Why Naraku was flaunting around with her as his 'sister' he couldn't understand. She definitely looked as if she might be related to him, but those similarities were only skin deep. Once he got to know her, they were as different as night and day.

He had been a bit suspicious of her at first, but when he got down to it, she knew nothing of Naraku's shadier activities. She truly seemed like a younger sibling for Naraku to dote upon, but he didn't trust that man's intentions one bit. Her attitude toward Naraku was that of sibling affection, but he seemed a bit more passionate toward her.

Kouga sighed. Despite that, it looked like Naraku, through whatever means he was using, was actually looking out for Kagome's well-being. But, The Beach?

It was that establishment that Kouga hated with every fiber his being. The Beach and its owner were hellspawn with Naraku as their top employee.

He idly flipped open the note again, rereading its contents. Basically, he would be trading in Kagome's contract for his own. All he had to do was give up her employment, and the past five years would vanish. He ground his teeth.

It sounded simple enough, but nothing with that bastard was simple. He glared at the paper.

There was one last thing to take into account. Kagome trusted her 'brother'. If he asked something of her, she was sure to do it without question or worry. Just as Kouga was sure that Naraku wouldn't do anything to break that trust. Naraku cared too much about Kagome for her to ever learn what kind of person he truly was. Kagome would be all right, he hoped.

He picked up the phone.

-:- -:- -:-

"You're going to let me go?" Kagome asked, eyes wide. She couldn't quite figure out what had gone wrong in such a short period of time. She hadn't made that many mistakes and she didn't think she had been particularly unpleasant to anyone to register any complaints against her. She might not have been as expedient or as precise as Ayame all the time, but she had only been there for less than a week.

Kouga shook his head. "No, I'm not firing you. But, I would like you to take a temporary leave." He frowned inwardly. It was the kindest way he could think of saying it, and it still sounded horrible. Kagome looking absolutely crushed like that didn't help much in relieving his guilt.

But then she looked up at him and smiled. "Oh." She said quietly. "I guess I understand." She licked her lips. "Did…did my brother have anything to do with this?"

Kouga blanched, unable to keep the surprise from his face. Did she know?

Mistaking his startled expression for something else, Kagome shook her head. "No, of course not. I'm just being silly." She knocked on her temple with a closed fist, laughing. Of course her brother hadn't done anything. She was wrong to have suspected it. He had promised he wouldn't do anything, just as she had promised that she would work for only this summer.

"Well, thank you for having me this long. I guess I should go get changed now, huh?" She gave a low bow and left for the locker room before Kouga could say another word.

She came out a few minutes later with her uniform neatly folded in her arms. "Thank you very much, Kouga-san." She said again, handing over the uniform and gathering her things.

ARG! This sucked SO much! He could bear to see her smiling like that, as if she understood when she really didn't. This isn't what he wanted to do at all.

Kouga reached out, grabbing her at the elbow. "Keep it." He said, returning the uniform to her hands. "Next summer, if you're still looking for a job, or even this fall, please come back. I'd be so glad to have you back." He said sincerely.

She gave a slow nod. "That's okay. It was only for this summer." She replied, remembering her promise to her brother and gently pushing the cloth away. She wouldn't break her promise, no matter how tempting. "Thanks for your offer anyways. Goodbye." Kagome left in a hurry, unable to stifle her tears of disappointment any longer.

She really hadn't understood what had happened. All she knew was that she greatly disliked this feeling of failure. Somehow, she had done something wrong. Kouga was a nice guy. He was probably being too polite to tell her. But the fact remained, she had lost her only job for the summer. After having that talk with her brother, trying to convince him to allow her to work, how could she face him now? She had only proven how inept she was.

She'd have to find a new job, she supposed. But getting the one at _Howl_ had been difficult enough…

"Kagome?" A voice called out, questioningly.

The voice stopped her short. She viciously rubbed at her eyes before looking up. There was no way she could explain this to him either. She pasted a quick smile to her face and looked up. "Hi Bankotsu!"

"…Were you crying?" He asked hesitantly.

She shook her head. "Not at all, Bank. Whatever gave you that idea?" She gave a hasty laugh.

Bankotsu frowned. The girl had the be lousiest liar he knew. But then again, it meant that she only knew how to be honest. Who couldn't love that? Still he nodded back. "Nothing at all." He replied with a smile. "Want me to walk to you home?" He offered kindly. She didn't look well enough to go back herself.

She bit her bottom lip. "If you would."

"No problem." He slung an arm around her shoulders. "Now let's step up before you keep your brother waiting."

"Thank you." She whispered, her head falling onto his shoulder, her face turned into his shirt.

Bankotsu couldn't be sure if it was just the bump in her stride or not, but he could feel her shoulders tremble beneath his arm.

-:- -:- -:-

-:- -:- -:-

-:- -:- -:-

SM: Huh...That's a really short time to work...and Sesshoumaru didn't make a single appearance in this chapter. I only noticed after I had finished writing it... Go Bankotsu!


	3. Chapter 3

SM: My so called plot inches forward. We're finally approaching a beach! But still, there is a lot of filler. Darn...

On another point, I've noticed that Naraku isn't too popular (well, when is he ever) for sending (or plotting to send) Kagome to work at The Beach. To clarify, it isn't a whorehouse, and it really is more of a Host Club in the clean sense of the term. I'm awful at writing smut, or even attempting to, so the best you'll get is smush if I fell like writing fluff. So it's not all that bad...

And it's not incest. I guess I didn't make it too clear before but Naraku and Kagome are not blood related. They simply grew up together under the same orphanage and eventual foster family. I hope this clears up most of the confusion.

I've been loving your reviews! And for some reason, this should have been posted last week, and in fact I thought it had... Whoops!

I'm trying to work on other things as well. Unfortuantely many new fics have threaded their way into my workload. (sigh)

Anyways, enjoy chapter three...

-:- -:- -:-

-:- -:- -:-

-:- -:- -:-

**Chapter Three**

Kagome sat at her desk, twirling a pen in her fingers by the light of her lone desk lamp. She rested her chin on her palm.

Naraku had appeared genuinely surprised that she had been fired, and had offered his sympathies. He'd even suggested that the three of them go out for dinner as consolation. But she declined. She felt more like moping about her room for a bit.

He accepted that, saying that he would order take-out, and that he and Bankotsu would party in the other room until she saw fit to join them. She figured that the two would just get plastered and pass out, and she would be allowed to cloister herself up until tomorrow while they nursed their hangovers.

She was surprised when Naraku had entered her room two hours later. He gave her door a brief rap before slipping on in. She lay on her back on her bed, her arms covering her face. She felt the bed dip as he sat on its edge.

"Kagome." He began.

"Yeah?" She tried to keep the tremor from her voice.

"I know that working meant a lot to you. And that you must not be feeling too good about it right now. So, I was wondering if…if you'd like to work with me this summer. Just to try it out, if you're not already looking for another job." He started slowly, as if testing the words out, before finishing in a rush.

Kagome looked at him, surprised. He was offering her to work with him? She never thought that she'd hear that from him. She would LOVE to work with her brother. She always did wonder what it was that he did.

"I'd like that." She replied quietly.

He grinned. "That's what I wanted to hear. So cheer up, okay? I'll go talk to my boss, and see if we can't get you signed up by the end of the week. Boss always is looking for pretty young girls to work for him." He ruffled her hair affectionately.

She blushed, shoving his hand off. "Stop it. I'm not a little girl anymore."

"Of course not." He placed a light kiss on her temple. "Sleep tight, anyways. And I'll see you in the morning. Good night."

"G'night." She replied, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

He smiled and gave her one last pat on the head before standing. He clicked off the light in the room and closed the door. She listened to his footsteps as they descended down the stairs and away until she couldn't hear them anymore. Then she sat up and went to her desk.

So there she was, contemplating the rather strange turn of events. Things had happened rather rapidly within the first week of summer, and she _still_ hadn't been able to contact Shirou-san about his wallet.

She hadn't told her brother about it either. She didn't want him to worry about some stranger getting a hold of her personal information. He could be so over-protective that sometimes it was scary. She did miss her pictures and her drivers license. Luckily, she didn't have a car and everything was in walking distance, but she still would have liked to have had that.

She sighed. What was she going to do if she couldn't get in touch with Shirou-san. She hoped the Fates would be kind.

-:- -:- -:-

The two men sat across from each other in large plush seats. Sesshoumaru sipped delicately from a wine glass while Ryuukossei swirled his absently in his hand. He was staring bemused out the window, watching the flashing lights pass by. No doubt he was wishing he was down there in that mess, probably paying a visit to the redlight district.

"What kind of place is The Beach?" Sesshoumaru inquired, initiating conversation and fulfilling his own curiousity. After Ryuukossei had mentioned it, he had made no further explanations. He had merely grinned excitedly and begun to plan.

"A beach!" Ryuukossei replied cheekily.

Sesshoumaru stared at him, not amused in the slightest.

"Such a stiff." The elder man sighed. "It's a place of relaxation for people who choose to relax with companions."

"An outdoor brothel?" Sesshoumaru questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Not at all!" He waved his hands fervently in a negative gesture. "It's more like a business. A customer designates an area. Each area has a certain number of attendants, and sometimes, specific attendants. And they're almost like servants, but not. They'll fetch drinks, bring towels, and the like. The service is all paid for with a rather nominal fee, at least in proportion to the services garnered: food, drinks, companionship. But, what makes it stand out are the Invitations." Ryuukotsusei grinned.

As the elder man was obviously enjoying his explanation a great deal, Sesshoumaru resignedly played along. "Pray tell, what are these 'Invitations'?"

"If you enjoy the company of a particular attendant, they're called 'Beach Mates' by the way, then you can Invite the attendant out, be it male or female. It's something of a date. You can take the attendant as a private companion for the night to do whatever. Drink, party, or as a _nocturnal companion_." He grinned lewdly.

"I see. And how does it differ from a brothel?" Sesshoumaru asked, stone-faced.

"Truly, you are proper." Ryuukossei sighed again. "It's in the contracts. Everything a Beach Mate does must be willing. During an Invitation, the Inviter must be cordial toward the Invitee, and vice versa. Customers are not purchasing a person. They only purchase the area in which they choose the relax, as well as the food and drink covered in the fee. Invitations with Beach Mates are more like exploring a relationship within guidelines. The customers are also bound within rules as well, for them to be hosted they must sign a terms of agreement contract. It's all quite professional." He explained.

"Beach Mates work something like attendants at The Beach. They'll sit with you, chat with you, sometimes moving on if they're bored. At The Beach, they're not tied down to any one person or area, though they can choose to be. If a customer is taken with an attendant, then they can Invite the person. Then the Beach Mate has the choice to accept or decline. If they accept, then they'll go with the customer to do whatever, completely within the contract of The Beach. It's almost like a dating service."

Sesshoumaru nodded. That made sense. It was a well thought-out institution. He would applaud the owner at his creativity, had it not been such a lewd proposition to begin with. His mind could not fathom how some men could think to create such a business, however profitable it was. "And The Beach would employ people of odd coloring?" He asked, returning to his original goal of finding the woman he surmised was in possession of his wallet.

"The Beach is renown for it's collection of exceptional individuals. It would be difficult for people to get Invited if they weren't classy or had some kind of talent. Many of the people employed aren't just lovely bimbos. They're witty and clever and make good conversationalists, as well as looking gorgeous. That's what makes The Beach so popular. And they _might_ employ who you're looking for. Unique coloring is just a bonus." Ryuukossei clarified. "If they don't, maybe someone there will know her. There aren't many blue-eyed girls here. It's not a large town." He sat back in his chair, satisfied with himself.

By the concise description that Sesshoumaru had provided earlier, the girl had to have a nice face. It was just how he knew Sesshoumaru worked. The boy was something of a perfectionist. If the girl so much as had a mole or a scar on her body, he was sure to have taken note and mentioned such a trait. The fact that he had said nothing in the negative assured Ryuukossei that the woman was sure to be beautiful. That increased their chances of her being at The Beach. And Ryuukossei was curious over what kind of a girl interested Sesshoumaru. The girl had to have more than just looks to have captured Sesshoumaru's attention, as trivial as it may have seemed. He still toyed with the idea that perhaps Sesshoumaru looked to the other sex for companionship, or was maybe celibate.

"I've noticed." Sesshoumaru muttered, in response to Ryuukossei's comment about the town. "So, when can we visit?" He asked.

"The area I reserved opens up next week." Ryuukosei replied.

Sesshoumaru nodded. "Next week then. I thank you for your hospitality." He stood to leave.

Ryuukotsusei stood as well, raising a hand and shaking his head. "It's the least I could do for the son of my greatest rival."

Sesshoumaru's lips curled upward in a pseudo-smile. "Of course." _When it comes down to it, everything is about my father._ He though bitterly.

-:- -:- -:-

Naraku sat at his fax machine, Kagome staring beside him, as the machine printed out the sheet of paper. He caught the paper as the machine finished printing, eyes scanning over the document. He feigned a sigh of relief over its contents. He had already previously corrected and made adjustments to her contract as was agreed upon, but she couldn't know that.

"So, is it good?" She asked hopefully.

He smiled. "Good as ever. You'll be doing the morning shift to afternoon shift. Not as many people until a few hours past noon, but they tend to be more sociable, in a good way. Night customers are the ones that might become a bit crass." He showed her the paper, pointing out the noteworthy sections. "You'll be paid hourly, and this here is the waiver."

He carefully explained each section, and she nodded in understanding. All in all it sounded like a good deal, and she knew her brother wouldn't put her in a position that she wouldn't want to be in.

It looked as if she'd be maintaining one of the Item and Refreshment booths. Sounded easy enough. She wouldn't be required to wear anything too revealing, and she could sit in the shade all day.

"Thank you." She beamed at her brother, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She took the document happily, rereading it once more before signing her name to it. "So, I start in three days?"

He nodded. As he had already assured his boss of her signing, her schedule had already been made up, by him. She would be placed in area no. 182. A sunny spot somewhat near the shoreline with many trees. It was somewhat isolated but there was no danger as the people who usually requested it were reclusive in nature or just not sociable. She would hardly find trouble there.

He had also taken other precautions as well. There would be no way that she would be Invited.

-:- -:- -:-

"I can really go like this?" Kagome stared at him with wide eyes.

Naraku nodded with a smile. "You're only running a booth, so there's no need to show off. Knowing you, you'll probably sequester yourself in the back with a book anyways. And it's air-conditioned back there so you won't need to worry about the heat."

Kagome was clad in a loose set of grey colored sweats. Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail and she was wearing her glasses. The sweats hid her figure nicely, and the rest of her features were equally veiled by her rather unflattering eyewear and hairstyle.

He grinned mentally.

None of those shallow, big-named corporate buffoons would Invite a girl looking like that. They had too much dignity. Plus, area 182 was going out to Ryuukossei starting that week. That sack of hot air wouldn't look twice at Kagome dressed like that. All she had to do was sit back, mix drinks or fold towels in the booth, and the other BM's would take care of the rest.

Naraku himself usually hung out in area 357. That area collected the greatest number of female patrons. Plus he was quite well-known for that particular area, so he couldn't just up and change areas. He wouldn't be able to keep as close an eye on her as he would like, but Kagura would be tending 182 as well. He could trust her to keep an eye on his sister. Also, Kagura knew exactly how to deal with men like Ryuukossei.

"Will you be comfortable like that?" Naraku asked her.

She beamed. "Definitely!" She never had the chance to go out in the clothes that she preferred, the laid-back sweats of a couch potato, but her brother was letting her work in that outfit. She couldn't be happier. "Thank you so much!"

He smirked. "All right then. Shall we be off?" He extended a hand.

"Eh? But I thought you worked a later shift…" She looked puzzled.

He looked appalled. "What kind of man would I be if I let a lovely thing like you wander off to work at a place like The Beach alone on your first day?"

"A good big brother. I don't want you sabotaging this or say embarrassing things!" She pouted. She clearly remembered her first day of High School where he had walked her to school and proudly proclaimed that he would personally see to it that any guy who hit on her would no longer be able to produce children, in a much more ungentle manner.

Kagome had almost died after that. Thank the Fates for friends like Sango. She wondered how her friends were doing on their trip. Well, she would e-mail them when she got back home. She was looking forward to her first day at work.

-:- -:- -:-

Kagura sauntered on in to the Entrance Gate of The Beach, stretching her arms as she walked. "Ah…why am I starting so early today?" She complained rubbing her neck. "A night owl like me shouldn't be up so early in the morning."

"Even if it's for a friend?" A bemused voice asked from behind her.

She snorted. "Some friend you are. This is extortion." She turned, raising a brow and placing her hands on her hips.

"Such a big word from such pretty lips. But I wouldn't call it 'extortion,' more like paying back one the many times I've stuck my neck out for you." Naraku grinned in response, knowing that there was no possible way for Kagura to refuse anything he requested of her.

She sighed. "Whatever. So why did I have to come in at this ungodly hour?"

Naraku looked her up and down. Despite all of her complaining, Kagura was dressed as impeccably as always for this sort of work. Dark yellow flowers blossomed across the scarlet material of her bikini top, accented by the matching cloth she wore sarong-styled about her hips. Her hair was pulled back from her face to fall around her shoulders, and her make-up was as subtly and flawlessly applied as ever. All eyes would be trained on the 'Fire Princess' of The Beach, leaving his little Kagome to her own devices.

"You're training the new girl." He replied, smiling.

"Eh? You got me up for that?" She stared surprised. Training the newbie wasn't her cup of tea. Those girls were either too pretentious for their own good, or to shy to be of any use. Often, they would be clumsy and ignorant until they were fully trained to the style and air of The Beach.

Though The Beach would only hire the 'cream of the crop,' very few of the newbies got the hang of it on their first day. The Beach was a much more complex organization from the inside than it appeared on the outside.

Kagura scowled. Great. Just fantastic. Naraku was truly a sadist. She knew that he loved to watch her suffer.

However, the man in question simply shook his head. "The new girl is my darling sister." He explained.

Kagura's face blanched. She swallowed. Naraku's little sister? That was a whole different ballgame. Here she tread in treacherous waters.

He hovered just behind her, his voice lowering. "I don't suppose I'd have to tell you the consequences if my dear little sister found her way into trouble, now, do I?"

She shook her head. "Of course not! What do you take me for?" She shot back, crossing her arms.

"Great!" Naraku clapped delightedly. "That's just what I wanted to hear. I've already suited her up to my specification. She's in area 182 with you, on refill duty. You'll be her Tendant until she learns the ropes, yes?"

She gave a sharp nod.

"Good good. She's already waiting for you in the other room. Come and introduce yourself." He suggested, already walking away.

Kagura hurried to catch up.

-:- -:- -:-

"Kagura, this is my lovely and darling little sister, Kagome. Kagome, this will be your senpai at The Beach, the Fire Princess Kagura." Naraku introduced them happily.

Kagome smiled politely and gave a respectful bow. "It's nice to meet you. Please treat me kindly."

Kagura nodded in reply, unable to articulate a reply. _This_ was Naraku's little sister? She looked like a spud! But Kagura knew that appearances were deceiving. Buried under those sweats and glasses must be one lovely girl. After all, to even be considered to be as a Beach Mate, one had to have the goods; face, body, voice, brain, the works.

She had even heard that Naraku had negotiated Kagome's contract personally. He had wanted her to work there. But to bring her dressed up like that, he must not want her to get Invited. So that's what he wanted to prevent. Well, she would definitely take care of it. This was looking to be a piece of cake.

Confidence returning, she offered up a saucy smile to Kagome. "I'm sure it'll be a pleasure to work with you. I'll be your Tendant until you learn the ropes. If you have any questions, just ask me, after all, I'm going to be looking out for you until after your trial period. Come now, we girls gotta get our work done without the boys." Kagura took her by the hand, grinning.

Kagome smiled in return. Then shot her brother a look. "Don't follow! I don't need a stalker on my first day!"

Naraku looked appalled. "I'd never!" He declared, holding up his hands in a gesture of innocence.

She squinted at him. "I remember my first day at elementary school, _and_ middle school. You _followed_ me _everywhere_! You stay out of it."

He gave an exasperated sigh. "As you wish."

Kagura chortled, leading Kagome away. "You have him well-trained." She murmured to the younger girl.

Kagome giggled. "He's just like a big teddy-bear."

"Ah…of course…" Kagura smiled. _A teddy bear? More like Beezlebub made flesh_.

-:- -:- -:-

Once the girls rounded the corner and were out of earshot, Naraku flipped open his cell phone. "You see them?" He asked.

"Yeah…" was Bankotsu's nervous reply. He wasn't exactly too keen on stalking Kagome again. But, Naraku hadn't given him a choice. This was Mission: Preserve Kagome's Virtue, and he would have done that without instruction. The Beach was no place for a girl like her.

-:- -:- -:-

"So, you see her?" Kouga demanded on his phone.

"Y-yeah. She's with Kagura though." Ginta replied timidly.

Kouga slapped his forehead. _Kagura? The Fire Princess? Nothing good could come of that._ "What are they doing?"

"Folding towels." Ginta reported.

"Towels?" Kouga asked, surprised.

"Yeah. They're at one of the Refill Huts and Kagura's showing her where everything goes, I guess."

Hm… "What…is Kagome wearing?" Kouga asked slowly. He was getting a hunch about this.

"Sweats and glasses." Ginta answered.

Kouga bit his lip. Naraku was a better man than he had given him credit for, but _only_ when it came to Kagome. So, Kagome was in a Refill Hut in sweats. No way she was going to be Invited. Perhaps he shouldn't have worried so much. Still…

"Keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn't get into any trouble." Kouga instructed. He may have been bullied into letting her go, but he was going to make sure that it wasn't a mistake on his part. He would assure her safety at The Beach if he had to drag her away from there himself.

"No problem boss." Ginta replied hurriedly.

"Good." He hung up, tucking the phone into his pants pocket.

Kagome looked to be in surprisingly good hands.

Now, all he had to do was find a replacement for Kagome. Letting her go had made short-handed again, and the current applicants were…sub-par to _Howl's_ usual parameters. Oh, having Kagome back would be a joy at this point. But he had to work with what he had.

_Howl_ was swamped during the summer season.

-:- -:- -:-

Kagome sat happily on her stool, folding towels, and arranging them into neat stacks. Kagura had told her that business would be slow in the mornings, so it would be a good chance to restock items and clean up before things became busy.

Kagome, thanks to Naraku and his friends' drinking habits, had a pretty good idea of mixing drinks. Kagura had given her a quick run through of the basics and pointed out the drink mixing guide beneath the counter. She had made a practice drink and Kagura had deemed her a natural at it. Then she patted her on the back and wished her luck.

Kagome's sole responsibility was just maintaining the booth. It was a Refill Hut where other BM's would stop by to pick up towels, drinks, lotion and the sorts for the clients. It was one of many small stations that dotted The Beach in somewhat secluded areas. There were larger huts that served the food and managed the more frivolous Beach accessories, and all were interlinked with phones and a computer.

It was actually a well-regulated system where if one booth fell short, or requested something special, any nearby booth would be able to aid or provide. Kagome was impressed. The Beach most certainly wasn't an escort service as she had secretly presumed.

She had just set down the last stack of towels and was rearranging the rows of suntan lotion on the shelves when the phone rang. She picked it up. "Hello?"

"This Hutch 182-b?" A male voice questioned.

"Um…yes?" Kagome answered tentatively. She still hadn't gotten the system of The Beach memorized yet. As far as she remembered, there were five to eight Refill Huts in each quadrant, designated by the letter. She knew she was a 'Hutch' as that was the slang for a Refill Hut. The Refreshment Huts were 'Bungalows', and the Service Huts were 'Cabins.'

"You the new girl?" The voice asked.

"Yeah." Kagome replied in a breath.

"Okay. Well, I'm Hutch 172-b and I think you got our shipment of towels this morning. Can you look in the back for a black plastic bin? The designation should be on the side in red paint."

"Sure." Kagome walked to the back, grateful that the phones were wireless. "Yeah, I see it."

"Great!" The voice sounded relieved. "Can you bring it up? Schedule says you're not due for reserved customers for an hour. You'll have plenty of time."

"Sure. Just, where are you?" Kagome asked, sliding the bin with her to the front of the Hutch.

"On the wall to the left of the phone there should be a grid map. Your position is the blue light. I'm the red light, just flipped it on."

Kagome saw one of the green lights turn red. "I see you. You're south of me?"

"Almost directly." He answered.

She hefted the bin with one hand. "Okay. I'll be there soon."

"Thanks." He replied, something akin to relief in his voice. He hung up.

Kagome replaced the phone on the receiver, took one last glance at the map, and prayed that she'd find it. The one thing she'd discovered about the Hutches was that unless you were looking for them, they were almost impossible to spot. They had been designed to be invisible.

-:- -:- -:-

Sesshoumaru drummed his fingers on the desk impatiently. Though he may have come here for 'vacation,' he planned on using this trip for anything but. There were many documents he wanted to browse through and hopefully garner a few connections during his time here.

Ryuukossei had been a good friend and rival of his late father, and though the man had become rather lax of late, was still quite powerful. Sesshoumaru had come on the pretense of a social call, at Ryuukossei's behest, but he would try to use it for something much more.

He had heard rumors about The Beach. It was quite popular among the wealthy social circuit, especially those in corporations. People from intern to executive frequented The Beach and it was a good place to meet people.

Absently he felt his pocket, the familiar weight of the wallet resting within. The Beach might also hold something of personal interest to him. He would just have to find her first.

Business came first to him, but he never had let anything interesting elude him for long.

The phone rang and he answered it almost instantly. Ryuukossei's deep voice chuckled from the other side.

"Impatient much?" The man laughed.

"Hn." Sesshoumaru replied stone faced.

Ryuukossei continued, unbothered by the stoic young man. "Well, we're in for The Beach on Monday morning, and I have my slot for the next week or two, depending on if I want an extension. Mayhaps you will find your lady love during then?" His tone was teasing.

"Perhaps." Was Sesshoumaru's non-committed reply. "Was there anything else?"

"Ah, the impatience of youth. When you become old like me, you learn to savor time in life." Sesshoumaru could visualize the man shaking his head on the other line. "Anyways, a few of your father's friends will be dropping by. The six of us should go out to dinner. I'm sure you remember them, Toutousai, Myouga, and Saya. I'm not too sure about Bokuseno, that old man wouldn't move unless you moved him. But for you, I'm sure he'd show up. We'll reminisce about old times and have a lark!"

Sesshoumaru grimaced inwardly. Those men were all old coots. But they all held respect individually. They were four of the greatest men in Japan. Sesshoumaru briefly wondered if eccentricity was a requirement for authority. Or maybe his father simply gathered the odd ones. Yet he found himself agreeing to the invitation anyways.

Crazy or not, Sesshoumaru himself respected them. They were wise, and he had the inkling that they always knew much more than they let on.

"Great! Tonight at nine then. We can meet at that _Howl_ place. Nice café with a great steak." Ryuukossei grinned.

_A café that served steak?_ But Ryuukossei had already hung up before Sesshoumaru could question the man. He found himself staring at the phone in his hand. He shook his head and pulled out a directory. _Howls_, it was located within walking distance.

He glanced at the clock. Plenty of time before dinner. He decided to do a bit of research about the area. For a small town, it attracted some of the biggest names in business and politics.

-:- -:- -:-

Kagome was circling the same sand mound for the fifth time she was sure when a man came bounding toward her.

"Hey, are you the girl who was at 182-b?" He asked.

She nodded.

"Oh good. I was afraid you'd gotten lost. Here, this way." He took the bin easily from her arms and lead her up the mound to a small copse of trees. Just beyond, a small Hutch was hidden away.

He opened the door for her and followed her in, smiling. "Thanks so much. I'd be in big trouble without these." He grinned, placing the bin on the table and quickly stacking the towels under one of the counters.

Kagome looked at him. He appeared a bit older than herself, pale skin, and dark hair tied up into a high ponytail. His face resembled Kagura's to an extent. And though he appeared effeminate, his body proved otherwise, lean and strong and pure muscle. He was dressed in an opened collared shirt and shorts with a white cloud print over sheen light blue material. Basically, he looked expensive.

He, however, acted unphased by their obvious difference in appearance. Maybe this was one of those places where it didn't matter what you wore as long as you were comfortable? But she kind of doubted it.

He finished his stacking and straightened, extending a hand. "Hi, my name's Byakuya." He introduced.

She took it. "Kagome." She replied quietly.

His eyebrows rose. "Are you Naraku's little sister?"

"Yeah…" She responded slowly, wondering what, if anything, her elder brother said about her.

"I've heard so much about you." He smiled. "All good I assure you. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. I'm usually at the Hutch all day, but sometimes I do go to Invites. But if you need me," he scribbled something down on a slip of paper, "this is my cell number. Call me anytime." He said sincerely.

She took it, blushing. "Thanks."

"No problem! Ah, almost forgot." He went over to the grid and flipped off a switch. "Can't leave it on too long or other Hutches will probably start to wonder and call." He clarified.

She nodded. Then, her curiosity perked she asked, "um, by the way, what do all the designations mean?" The systematic ordering of The Beach had puzzled her. It was quite thorough, but as not much had been explained to her yet, she didn't quite understand.

"The designations? Like the Hutches?"

She nodded.

He pointed to the map. "This is the entire area of The Beach. It's divided into four quadrants; One, Two, Three, and Four." He pointed the each of the four squares. "That number is the first digit in the designation. The second number is location, where you are in the quadrant, numbering zero to nine. And the last number designates if the area is mainly populated with male or female BM's. Evens for females, and odds for males. The closer one is to zero, the higher females per males ratio is. The closer the number is to nine, the higher the ratio is for men. Make sense?" He explained patiently.

She nodded. She got it now. Hopefully, she would be able to find her way through The Beach well enough. It was bigger than she thought.

She looked at the map. So that meant than her brother was in almost the furthest quadrant from her, and it was mostly all male. That was where most of the female customers hung out, no doubt. Though she had heard that The Beach catered to both sexual orientations, straight and not. She giggled, wondering if any men had tried to woo her brother.

"Thank you very much." She beamed and offered a polite bow.

"It was no problem." Byakuya waved off her formality. "You look like such a sweetheart. Don't get into any trouble okay? And if you get too hot in those sweats, there's a few shirt and short sets in the back of each Hutch." He pointed to his own clothes in example and smiled.

"Thank you." She repeated. "I'd better be off now. It was nice meeting you." She waved.

He waved back. "You'll find your way back okay."

"Yeah." She grinned.

"Good luck then." He waved back, watching until she disappeared over the hill. His expression turned thoughtful.

"So, that was Naraku's younger sister. He must be trying his best to make sure she's not Invited." He smirked at the way she was dressed. Naraku was trying hard for him to allow her to attend the beach in such attire. She was interesting to say the least. Kagome didn't seem to care at all how she was dressed, and only worried about getting lost. Did she not know how The Beach operated, or was she simply too naive. Either way, she interested him.

He grinned to himself, remembering the special allowance each BM contract granted: Beach Mates could get Invited by other Beach Mates if there weren't already Invited for the day.

He might just put that into use soon.

Despite Kagome's outfit, she couldn't hide her natural innocence, and that called out to him like a beacon.

-:- -:- -:-

-:- -:- -:-

-:- -:- -:-

SM: Yeah boring chapter...So most of this was explaining things, and even that won't matter later, so it's like 80 percent useless filler, ugh! But at least Byakuya got introduced. The first time I saw him, his face creeped me out because it was pasting Kagura's face on a man's body. Yay origami cranes!

For something with a bit more substance, I've been posting snippets of fics in my LJ. Check it out for randomness and reasons I'm not updating. I posted part of chapter one of Pink Slip there. It's not on yet cuz it's not a complete chapter. I'm still pounding out some issues with it while I'm not NaNoWriMo-ing.

Link for Pink Slip here: http // shadyminion . livejournal . com / 8786 . html # cutid 1

As always, remove spaces, or for a shorter short cut, go to my profile, and it's under homepage. Thanks for reading. I adore all feedback. And now I crawl into my hole of labwork and a bit o' exam cramming. And just because I'm evil, I bought FFXII on Tuesday and have been playing it religiously when I can.


	4. Chapter 4

SM: Wow. So yeah, it's been a while since I've updated _anything_, so here's something that's been sitting on my HDD for far too long. Enjoy!

**Edit 09-15-07**: I accidentally uploaded the wrong version. This one should be longer, with the scenes in the correct order, and more of them. If it is complicated, I'm sorry, I was trying to add much more substance and ended up throwing in piles of detail that will further complicate the story.

Ugh!

-:- -:- -:-

-:- -:- -:-

-:- -:- -:-

**Chapter Four**

He hadn't been too sure before, but now he was absolutely positive.

There was someone else trailing Kagome.

Bankotsu would hardly deign to use the word 'stalk,' because that would imply that he too was stalking the younger sister of his best friend, and he was hardly doing such a thing. He was merely observing the girl on her first day at work for the purpose of keeping her out of trouble. The fact that he was all but forced into a decision he would have made on his own never entered the equation.

He had first noticed that there had been another person in close vicinity to Kagome almost immediately. But as Kagome was surrounded by at least one or two people (Naraku or Kagura) all the time, he didn't figure it to be too important.

But the presence lingered, and after the point where Kagome had met that strange man at the other Hutch (Bankotsu had developed an instantaneous dislike of that man), he had been completely sure. Another person was following Kagome, and from the looks of him, it was one of the waiters from _Howl's_. It looked that like moron Ginki. Or was it Hararu? One of those weirdos.

That wasn't good. That meant that Kouga didn't trust Naraku, not that he blamed the man. But it also made more trouble for him. Naraku was sure to bite of his head about this, and when he did tell his friend (for there was no 'if' about it), Naraku was sure to seethe in that silent and crafty was of his. And, for sure, make Kouga's life a living hell.

Bankotsu had learned early on that any threat the man made was very seldom an empty one. So he paused to think, what the hell was he going to do now. If Ginta was found out by any one other than him, Naraku would have _his_ head. But if he ratted out the waiter from _Howl_, Kouga was sure to suffer as well.

Though he didn't particularly care for the café owner, there was not much animosity between them. So he decided to do the next best thing. The moment Kagome went deeper into the Hutch, presumably to stack her folded towels and retrieve more from the delivery box, he made his way toward the crouching shadow behind an adjacent dune.

"Hey," he muttered lowly, trying to not to startle the intently watching waiter. He failed as the man all but leapt three feet into the air.

Bankotsu clapped a heavy hand over the man's mouth, stifling the man's need to shriek and give them away to Kagome. That was so not what he needed at that point in time.

"Shut up, would ya?" He grunted, caught in an uncomfortable position when he had reached out to quiet the other. "She's gonna find us otherwise."

Ginta stilled at that. Kouga would probably beat him senseless if he were to be found out. He gave a quick jerky nod, an ascension to keep quiet.

With a sigh, Bankotsu let him go and shifted so he was steady on his feet instead of in a half-lunging position. He moved so now both were side by side, backs pressed on the sand side facing the Hutch. He shook his head slowly. "You have to leave."

Ginta's startled glare was enough to know that this wasn't a task that was forced onto him, but rather something he was willing to do. Stupid crafty waiters and their owners. So the people at _Howl's_ had become attached to Kagome. It wasn't something that he wasn't expecting. Kagome was too likeable as a person. But at the moment, it would be much more efficient, as well as less risky, if only one person tailed her. There were too many people working and visiting The Beach for both of them to go unnoticed by someone for long.

He held up his hands placatingly. "Look, we're both going to get caught at this rate. If you don't want both of us getting kicked out of here, it's probably better to leave this to me. I have more experience than you and I know that _Howl's_ is short handed at the moment."

Ginta shot him a dark look, as if it were his fault that they were missing a waitress. Indirectly, it was, but he wasn't willing to foot the blame for Naraku's over-protective nature. He shrugged off the glare and simply waited until the waiter saw the reason in his words. But by the rather stubborn glare he was receiving he knew it would take longer than he was willing to wait.

Somewhat annoyed, Bankotsu shot him a dirty look, toned down by the need to not anger the other man thoughtlessly. All they didn't need was Ginta bursting a nerve and making a scene to blow both their covers.

"_I'll_ watch over her, and you go back. It's too risky to have two people watching her when one will do just fine."

Ginta's eyes narrowed in an expression that told Bankotsu that he wasn't trusted. Bankotsu didn't blame the guy. But at the same time, this wasn't any of his business. Ginta had known Kagome for maybe a week or two. Bankotsu had known her for years. She was more of his responsibility than anyone from _Howl's_.

He planted a heavy fist on the waiter's head. "Are you stupid? Do you want to get us both caught?" He hissed the questions angrily, shaking Ginta's head as he did so.

"Two people doing the job of one is stupid. Get out of here, Kagome is _mine_." The words slipped out of him without thinking. He regretted them instantly. That wasn't what he had wanted to say at all. He was supposed to say that Kagome was his _to watch_. But that wasn't what had come out.

Before he could correct his error, Ginta had flashed him a shadowed look, one that was shrewder than Bankotsu would have credited him being able to make. But then he nodded and edged away, wordlessly.

Bankotsu managed not to sigh in relief. He watched the other man leave, not as stealthily as he would have gone, but good enough.

The security at The Beach was rather tight, and it was admirable that the young waiter had gotten as far as he did. Then he returned his attention to Kagome.

She seemed happy enough, thinking that she was helping. Truth be told, much of what she did was redundant, such as working. Naraku made more money than she could possibly imagine, and it was because she didn't want to rely on him that he never told her. Whenever he bought her an expensive gift, she thought that he had worked long and hard for it, when in truth it had cost nothing more than pocket change to him.

If she ever found out how much money he actually had, she wouldn't be happy. She liked the idea of helping and being useful. She didn't want to burden him and it was because of her mindset that he kept working. If he had it his way, Naraku would have moved long ago, to a large house and kept Kagome locked inside while showering her with gifts.

But, she never would have been happy.

So they worked, and lived a simple life instead. As long as Kagome was happy, Naraku wouldn't have it any other way.

Yet, he couldn't help but wonder as to what Naraku was thinking.

There were other ways to hide Kagome's shape and charm than behind grey sweats and thick glasses. Looking at her almost made him blush. She was still cute, even looking ridiculous. The outfit she wore de-aged her by about five years.

She was still such a child.

-:- -:- -:-

"Who was that?"

Byakuya turned around to see Hakudoushi, his partner at this Hutch. Usually, Hutch's were maintained by two-person groups, Kagome's Hutch, though, was a special case.

"A newbie." Byakuya replied, not caring for how Hakudoushi's eyes were following her.

"Hm..." Hakudoushi smiled. "I suppose I should go introduce myself then."

-:- -:- -:-

Sesshoumaru was walking. Deeming the city too small to warrant a cab, he decided that it was more efficient to travel by foot.

He crossed the street from _Howl's_. He had just been inside to inspect Ryuukossei's chosen eating establishment before taking off to visit Ryuukossei's chosen recreation location.

He had actually been surprised by the café. It had been tastefully designed, giving the illusion of the outdoors without making it seem too artificial. There were booths for privacy and open tables for single or double parties. And both the staff and customer base tended toward the more intelligent side. It was rather impressive for something that looked rather like a hippie marijuana club from the outside.

Now he stood on the cement, just before the entrance to the facility of The Beach. To be fair, the design was far from tacky, and quite stylish, in honesty. However, it was more the fact of seeing half dressed people wandering to and fro, and the fact that those half dressed people acted so earnestly to please the customer that bothered him more than the idea that it looked like an outdoor host club.

It reminded him too much of associates and the like garnering to his favor, simply so that they could have a share in the fruits of his labor.

That or marry him for money.

It was what the 'Beach Mates' reminded him of, and they weren't pleasant memories. People like those brownnosers made him feel ill, or at the very least, filthy for being in their presence.

He was just about to leave in disgust when a very unusual person scampered out from one of the back doors.

A strange girl with coke bottle glasses and lumpy sweats that did nothing for her figure except make her look deformed.

He stared at her wondering, what a girl that looked as out of place as she did, was doing there.

He heard the happy (masculine) shout at the girl, causing her to turn.

"Kagome!"

The lumpy girl grinned, positively beaming as she ran toward the shouter, another man who looked too elegant for such a place. He wondered if perhaps the man, though young looking, was her father.

When the man straightened the girl's clothes, Seshoumaru could see that the girl actually had a rather fine figure, causing him to wonder why she would dress to hide it.

He hadn't realized he'd been staring until he heard a voice buzzing in his ear, repeating itself for what he felt was like quite a long time.

"Sir? Sir? Excuse me, sir. May I help you sir? Sir?"

He turned to the irritating voice if only to shut it up, regardless of the fact that it was probably his fault for standing there, unresponsive.

With a sharp look, which he had tried to tune down, he gave a brisk reply. "Who was that man?" He asked, knowing that he would probably receive a more informed response if he asked about the good looking man instead of asking about the not-so-good looking girl.

The woman, who he assumed was either a receptionist or some kind of hostess for this establishment, gave a glowing smile. "That was our Number One BM. His name is Higurashi Naraku." She answered proudly.

She continued with an odd gleam in her eye. "Was he your type? He's on reservation for the next month and a half or so, but I'm sure I could squeeze you into his schedule."

Attempting to show less disgust than he felt, Sesshoumaru managed an appearance of mild constipation. "No, that won't be necessary." He replied rather quickly. "Thank you for your help." Then he strode out hurriedly, uncomfortable.

There had always been the jest that he favored the less fairer sex.

Those assumptions were ungrounded, and yet he always had been made awkward by it. He could defend his position against Ryuukossei and the rest of his father's cronies simply because they had made that crack so often. But for those he had met only briefly, or for the first time, for their mind to jump so quickly to that kind of conclusion, disconcerted him.

Just what was it about him that made other people think that?

-:- -:- -:-

"Naraku!" Kagome exclaimed happily, launching herself at her brother.

Catching her easily, he hefted her in the air as he had done when she was smaller.

She giggled. Then placing her hands on his shoulders she asked, concerned, "have you been waiting long?"

"Not at all. I just arrived." He answered with a smile, glad to see that so far Kagome seemed happy. That meant that so far no one had made any untoward advances on her. He meant to keep it that way.

"How have you been?" He asked, placing her on the ground, but keeping her hands in his.

She beamed at him. "Great! Kagura's been really nice, showing me the ropes. I just hope I'm not troubling her too much. How about you?"

He shrugged. "Good so far." He replied, then he gave a depressed sigh. "The trouble starts when work begins." He let go of one of her hands to place a hand on his forehead melodramatically, closing his eyes and sighing once again. "It's all the problems of being as good looking as I. It's just so hard being popular."

With a good natured smack to the shoulder, ("Ow, that hurts," he complained) she shook her head. "Sure, whatever. So what do you want to eat?"

"What do _you_ want to eat?" He asked back. "It's your first day. It'll be my treat."

"Hmm…" She adopted a thoughtful look. She bit her bottom lip.

Naraku eyed the gesture. He knew her habit.

She wanted something, but wouldn't say it because she thought that it would trouble him. Most of the time, it was nothing at all. A very few times, it was a little out of his way, but nothing he wouldn't do for her.

"Just ask." He said pleasantly.

"Um..if it's not too much trouble, do you think I can visit _Howl's_?" She asked timidly.

Blast it!

"_Howl's_ you say?" He adopted a concerned look. "But, weren't they the people who fired you?" He asked.

She shrugged. "I'm sure they had good reason."

He sighed inwardly. She was so forgiving, a trait he adored in her, but sometimes wished that it wasn't directed at certain individuals. "Of course." He tried not to grit his teeth.

She sensed his tension and shook her head suddenly. "No, never mind. You pick." She said with false cheer, a way that meant _if you don't want to go, I'm not going to make you_.

Defeat!

"No, that's not what I was thinking. Let's go. I'm sure they'll be happy to see you." He replied.

Defeat on his part…

She beamed at him and he melted.

He would kill for that smile. Now to kill others so that they _wouldn't_ get that smile.

Throwing her arms around him she whispered her gratitude into his ear. "Thank you, thank you. I know you don't seem to like them much, but thank you for doing this for me." She babbled excitedly.

Those stupid wolves. He was beginning to hate _Howl's_ more than he thought possible. But he wasn't jealous, of that he was sure. There was nothing that they had to be jealous of. He had those guys in the palm of his hand…

Kagome began to pull away from the embrace and he reluctantly let her go. "I should go change." She muttered.

He caught her by the wrist. "No, you look fine." He said with a smile. "You don't have to dress up for them."

She laughed. "You're my big brother, Naraku. You'd think I look good even if I wore nothing at all."

Fortunately, he blushed only faintly, and she was far from noticing that as she turned away to seek out changing rooms. She had brought along another outfit, just incase her spud suit wasn't suitable. It wasn't that she hadn't trusted Naraku's word, it was just that he was always so soft on her. She was sure that if it ever came down to it, he'd let her get away with murder or something.

After locating the rooms, she gave a shout of "I'll be just a sec," and entered, changing quickly.

She reappeared looking much more fashionable than before, not that it would be hard. Comfortable jeans and a baggy wide-neck shirt replaced her sweats. She still wore her glasses and braid though. She hadn't brought her contacts and she was lazy to re-braid her hair if she had let it down.

"Thanks for waiting." She said, looping her arm around his. It was a routine they had when going out.

When Kagome had been younger, one of her greatest fears had always been being separated from Naraku, whether by adoption or simply being lost. He had remedied it by always taking her hand or arm when they went out. When they grew older, the practice stuck until it was second nature. If they were going to go out somewhere together, they would always be linked somehow.

He liked to think that she disliked being separated from him. She did, truly, but he wished it was for a different reason.

-:- -:- -:-

Kouga had been pleasantly surprised.

He hadn't expected Kagome to return, at least, not before he cleared up things with Naraku and apologized profusely to her. It had been a madhouse after she had left. Summer season was always hectic, and with the sudden shortage of one exceedingly quick and helpful waitress, they were more than shorthanded.

Many of the applicants they had trained spur of the moment had quit almost immediately, unable to keep up with the demanding workload.

Poor Ayame was up to her ears in customers, and her smile seemed frozen in place.

Ginta and Hakkaku could handle being either waiters or cooks, but not both at the same time. They alternated, one being a waiter and the other a cook, while attempting to do both parts of the job at once. They had worked well together when they were covering one job, one taking orders and one bringing the orders as waiters, and then one prepping the food and the other cooking as cooks. But it was something akin to catastrophe when they were by themselves.

With Kagome, it had worked like clockwork. With the substitutes, it wasn't as smooth. But they had still tried hard to keep a consistent level of service.

He may have been exaggerating, but it hadn't felt like it. They had all missed her after she had left, becoming quite attached to her in that short time she was with them.

Kouga grinned at her, showing no sign of guilt. "Hey babe, hadn't expected you back so soon." He greeted cheekily.

She blushed. "Um, came by to say hi." She said, peering over his shoulder concerned, taking in the sight of the panicked waiters almost tripping over themselves, and Ayame moving like a smiling red blur.

"It looks busy." She commented a bit worriedly. All of them looked rather stressed, and Ayame's smile was stretched, like a rubber band. She wondered what would happen when the redhead snapped.

Kouga's grin widened. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

Naraku cleared his throat behind them. "I believe we're blocking the way." He said calmly, indicating the gathering of people trying to push their way out around them.

Kouga had been standing in the doorway when they had opened to door. He looked like he was about to leave.

Undaunted, Kouga moved aside, letting Kagome and Naraku in, and the other customers out.

He apologized to the customers of the inconvenience before returning his attention to the dark-haired pair.

"So, how may I help you?" He asked a bit stiffly, eyeing Naraku.

"Some food would be nice." Naraku answered dryly.

"Of course!" Kouga smiled broadly and took them to a booth with a flourish.

It was one of their nicer booths, Naraku could tell with a glance. All polished dark hardwood, velvety lined seats, and ambient lighting with a silvery outline. Kagome, of course, observed none of this and chatted happily with Kouga. It was a moment more before Naraku noticed that Kagome had ordered for him and Kouga was already waltzing away with their order.

Kagome gave him a sheepish smile. "I hope you don't mind," she said with a blush rising on her neck. "But I wanted you to try their chicken cacciatore and pasta, it's really good." She said earnestly, suddenly terrified that he might take offense.

He smiled assuringly. "I'm sure it is. It's just as well anyways, I wouldn't have known what to order." He grinned.

It was true.

He had never been to _Howl's_, at least not to eat.

No doubt, Kouga would have just grinned moronically anyways and given him idiotic suggestions, only to spit in his food later. If Kagome had ordered, then he wouldn't know which dish was for Naraku, and he would not do anything unseemly to their orders.

Kagome beamed in response. "I hope you like it. I really did." She said dreamily.

It was funny how talk of food could get her so interested. She really liked food, and not just eating it either. He could remember whole single days she spent with cooking; waking up at the crack of dawn to pick and buy ingredients, then chopping, mincing, dicing, peeling, cutting, cleaning, and prepping them all by hand.

It was extraordinary.

But she fell out of that habit when it came time to work, preparing simple meals and the like. Now it seemed like she didn't even have time for that at all. He missed them, the days when she spend all hours at home. She was safe then, safe from his compatriots, from outsiders, and most of all, from prying eyes.

Unaware of her brother's train of thought, Kagome hummed happily to herself, drumming her fingers on the table and watching the general hubbub.

Naraku seemed lost in thought, and she figured it was best to not disturb him. She wasn't aware of all the details of his job, but it seemed like a lot of responsibility. He didn't talk too much about it, but she knew he played an important role and assumed that it was his job about which he thought so much.

Ayame served up their food hot and quick. She seemed to have a tired, but grateful smile for her. Kagome wondered as to why, but then the redhead was gone in a flash, back to the counter to retrieve more trays of food. In the back, Kagome could see Hakkaku working with a determined look on his face, and a headband that wrote "Fight! Win!" on his forehead.

Ginta was moving equally as fast as Ayame, but with much less grace. He had his tablet of tickets in one hand and a tray of drinks in the other, and looked as if he were trying to move in two different directions at once. She almost made a move to go and help him, but remembered that she was there with Naraku. He probably wouldn't have been too happy if she just up and left like that.

Instead she gave Ginta a thumbs up (he blushed madly) and turned her attention to her brother. He seemed to be a bit amazed by it. She had ordered him the chicken cacciatore with spaghetti in a garlic and butter sauce, served with parsley. It also came with a few thick slices of crusty sourdough bread. And she had gotten the extra large portion so they could share.

She fingered her plate a bit nervously.

He smiled at her. "Looks good." He complimented, meaning it. He hadn't expected that level of quality from the café owner, but then again, for all he knew, Kouga was just trying to impress Kagome.

That thought irritated him.

He ignored it for the moment though, taking the time to take the serving spoon from Kagome's hands and serve her first, instead of the other way around. He also had noticed how her left hand was fisted surreptitiously beneath the table, sometimes going into her pant pocket. He knew that she was holding her money at the ready, so as to snatch up the bill when it came.

She always was trying to do things for him. He wished that she would let him do things for her as well, and no one else.

-:- -:- -:-

Taking a break, Hakudoushi stretched as he left his Hutch, earning a few whistles from a couple of female BM's who were walking by. Winking at them, he smirked and then turned his eyes to search for a particular BM.

Upon not seeing her, he sought out a different one, the woman who was the most noticeable on the entire beach.

"Kagura!" He called as he walked up to her.

Surprised, the woman turned to her, distrust written on her face. "What is it?" She asked, unsure.

Hakudoushi was not the most reasonable person. For as long as she had known him, he had been quite silent and difficult to get along with, at least in private. His face had been impossible to read and he was as emotionless as they came. He was a good actor though, and nowhere was his talent as apparent as when they were working.

With a childlike demeanor, but handsome sculpted features to show his true age, he had been one of the most popular BM's on the beach. However, some time ago, for no reason, he had asked to be placed at a Hutch.

Kagura was not a curious person, but she was a suspicious one.

Naraku had something to do with it. As far as she was concerned, that man had his hand on everything, and Hakudoushi had been his tool since they had met.

But something was off this time, and as soon as the next words left his mouth, she knew what it was.

"Where's Kagome?" Hakudoushi asked.

"Where's Byakuya?" Kagura shot back.

With an unsettling smile, the younger boy answered, "folding towels."

Turning around, Kagura began to walk away. "She's with Naraku." She said, meaning for the statement to end the conversation. She did not like Hakudoushi, nor did she trust him.

That man was a viper.

"Ah..." Was Hakushoushi's response from behind her.

-:- -:- -:-

Sesshoumaru was walking back slowly to the hotel he was staying at. He had a surprising amount of things to think about. That lumpy girl…

She looked familiar and was associated with Higurashi Naraku. That name was setting off alarms in his head. He should know that name from somewhere.

Perhaps, Ryuukossei would know. And if not him, then one of his father's other friends should know it. Whatever alerted him could not be a good thing. It might not be so bad seeing all of his father's friends again. Crazy though they may be, they also had their own brand of genius, financial, economical, and intellectual.

Sighing to himself, he knew that they were usually right, even when giving the most inane advice. Pretty much the only subject they were dead wrong on was anything to do with women, at least in terms of getting into a relationship. One could see it in their various (and failed) forms of flirting.

Not one of them had ever been married for more than a few years.

And all were brilliant enough to sign nuptials and ensure that their fortune would remain theirs.

He rubbed his forehead.

Dinner at _Howl's_. Conversation with crotchety old mad men.

Contractional sustenance coming from them looked doubtful. It wasn't that they didn't support him, it was just that they were so old, and had done practically everything in their youth, that nothing would really garner their favor unless it _interested_ them.

Their interest was a hard thing to come by.

According to Myouga, there had been little they had ever not seen.

At least he had caught Ryuukossei's eye with the mention of that girl.

Maybe mention of Naraku would plant the seed of curiosity. Maybe not. Ryuukossei sounded like a regular of The Beach, so most likely he would have the most information.

Sesshoumaru squeezed his eyes shut. This was why he never took vacations. Everything became more complicated when he took his guard down, even for a moment.

He hadn't even left the airport terminal yet when he'd lost his wallet. He'd been there for less than a day and had already been branded a closet fruit by many of the hotel staff. The only thing going for him was Ryuukossei's interest and connections to some of the most influential, wealthy, and insane old men there ever was.

He sighed.

It was going to be an interesting night, for sure.

-:- -:- -:-

Hakudoushi was waiting for them when the Higurashi siblings returned.

Naraku had taken his time dropping off Kagome, an indulgence that would have been severely scolded had it been anyone else. But it confirmed his suspicions.

Naraku had anything but brotherly feelings for his younger sister. Not that Hakudoushi would blame him. The purity of the younger Higurashi was screaming to either by tainted or protected.

With the way that Naraku treated her, he obviously responded to the latter. Hakudoushi himself had yet to decide which one he preferred.

Smiling, Hakudoushi went to approach Kagome, who had already turned her complete attention back to the maintenance of the Hutch.

"Hello Kagome."

His greeting startled her.

"Hakudoushi!" She replied with a bright smile, remembering him from earlier. Shortly after she had met Byakuya, the young man had showed up to her Hutch, introducing himself.

"Would you care to accept my Invitation?" He asked.

Puzzled, Kagome gifted him with a quizzical smile.

"Let's go grab a bite after work." He clarified.

"Oh, I probably shouldn't. My brother was looking forward to meeting up after work, to talk about my first day." She admitted.

Hakudoushi's smile widened. "That's okay. Some other time then."

"Wait!" A sharp cry interjected. It was Byakuya, jogging up to the Hutch. "I'll Invite you too, so it'll be three of us." He said, grinning.

"Okay! That sounds fun. Thank you." Kagome replied with earnest gratitude. She was glad that the employees of The Beach were so kind. She was sure that this would be a great place to work for the rest of the summer.

"Maybe tomorrow?" She offered.

The two men smiled. "Sure." They replied together.

Then excusing themselves, they left, glaring at each other when she wasn't looking.

-:- -:- -:-

"Where's Kagome!" The words were out of Naraku's mouth before he even finished rounding the corner.

"Right here." Kagome replied, confused. Why was her brother so panicked. "Are you all right?" She asked concerned.

Relief flooding his features, he nodded. "Just fine." He replied. "I just thought that you might have forgotten."

"No, I wouldn't do that." Kagome said, laughing.

He forced a smile in return and extended his hand. "Let's go home then."

Grabbing it, Kagome stood and hugged her brother. "Thank you."

His smile softened.

Naraku raked a hand through his hair. Dammit!

Kagura had paged him earlier with a message that Hakudoushi was on the move. Thankfully, Byakuya had managed to stay with him, but that was unexpected.

Hakudoushi had always been the most efficient of his little band of minions. He had not expected that the brat would take the initiative upon himself, especially with Kagome. She was simply not his type. Akago would have taken interest in her, but not Hakudoushi, that boy was too full of himself to stoop down to check out a girl with no sense of fashion.

If Sounga, or even that bastard Takemaru, found out about just how important Kagome was, he would never hear the end of it. Of course, there was not much they could do about it, but their mouths were large and they liked to flap their lips. They could be more trouble than they were worth.

Getting her hired here had been one of the biggest risks he had ever taken, but it was meant to be safe!

Hakudoushi couldn't afford to betray him. He held that brat's older brother's life in his hand! One word from him and Akago suffered a mysterious relapse.

-:- -:- -:-

"Naraku?" Myouga was screeching. It was the tiny man's habit (to screech) whenever he became flustered.

Toutousai had fallen silent and was turned facing another way while Bokuseno had closed his eyes and Ryuukossei seemed more interested in the smoke of his cigarette than in the topic. Saya was, as usual, asleep.

Knowing those old coots, that all meant that Naraku was bad news. But how bad was what Sesshoumaru wanted to know.

He waited patiently for one of them to spill their guts. He turned his glare toward Myouga. Brilliant and clever though the little man was, refusing Sesshoumaru was not one of his stronger traits. Sesshoumaru blamed it on the years of having to watch over his younger half-brother.

It did not take long until Myouga let out an "eep" of nervousness and Toutousai snorted.

"He's a terrible man." Myouga began with a shake of his head and a crossing of his arms. "Bad man, indeed."

Sesshoumaru stared at him for a few seconds more as Myouga continued to shake his head and cross his arms without adding anything further.

"Myouga!" He finally barked, impatient.

The bald head snapped upward. "Hm? Oh? What was that? I dozed off for a minute there."

A fierce glare got Myouga talking again.

"It happened suddenly one day. No one knew where or when he came, but it was an immediate thing, the effect of his name. The mere mention of his name would make people pale and tremble, sometimes even mute for days, though that could be rumor. But what is true is what he's done."

The little man leaned forward with his hands on his knees.

"He's a jackal." He said simply, then fell back to elaborate. "That man, who was really a boy at the time, appeared suddenly. He was rogue with no claim, but he was smart. He started small, and moved up quickly, taking down first those men who had fallen prey to lone sharks and were so destitute that they didn't even own the clothes on their backs. He protected them by making it impossible for the muscle-bound goons to get to them, and took away the power of the lone sharks.

"Strange really, how it worked. He had those people who were owned by yakuza under his command by protecting them. Many fell under his shield of influence and then it grew, swallowing up the lone sharks and prostitutes. Anyone who was low on funds went to him. No one was really sure how he did it, but he made the money of the yakuza his. At first it was a petty thing, one man beating up a few of the bottom tier, but the pride of a yakuza is a funny thing. One by one, the bottom levels were falling to Naraku, moving his way up from prostitution rings to drug lords, and finally weapons.

"Guns are really rare in Japan, and ironically enough, it was thanks to him that they continue to be so scarce. He cleaned up the yakuza in less than five years. All the black market and illegal gambling became set in fixed locations with the local police force on their payroll. Then he vanished only to reappear a year later in a no-name backwater town. He made it famous by instituting an adaptation of a Host Club to appeal to a larger audience."

Here, Sesshoumaru nodded. "The Beach." He added.

Myouga's head bobbed in agreement. "That's it. A place were both the top executives and the average salary man can relax in relative equality. And it's not just a coincidence that it's run by Sounga."

Bokuseno twitched at the mention of the name. He eyed Ryuukossei for a moment, but the other man was concentrating on a long slow drag of his half-finished cigarette. Saya offered a small whine of protest, followed by a long snore.

It was fortunate for Sesshoumaru that Saya remained asleep. The tiny old man had vociferous opinions of The Beach executive, that were not all based on fear.

"Sounga, a man of brute force in industry, but gained all of his capital from dealing with the black market and underground gambling rings. He was also under suspicion of being the head of an exotic brothel that catered to…eccentric tastes." Sesshoumaru said, denoting his understanding of Myouga's cryptic statement.

The little bald man grinned. "That's not all, he was also once a business partner of your father's."

Sesshoumaru tensed.

"Please continue." He said after a moment. Somehow, his query had grown to greater proportions that he had imagined. This Naraku sounded like an interesting person. Dangerous, but useful, and for some reason, irritating.

Here, Myouga paused, as if contemplating something. Then he shrugged. "There's not much else. Naraku seemed to settle down for a while, and other than the rumors of using The Beach as a nondescript recreation resort, there was no other mention." He finished off.

Sesshoumaru withheld a frown. That did not make much sense.

According to the popularity of the location, as well as the attraction toward high-profile businessmen and celebrities, The Beach would easily be a place for illegal transactions or economic manipulations. At least, in his mind. For such an infamous name as Naraku, to suddenly go quiet, there had to be a reason.

His mind flashed back to the girl with the lumpy outfit.

"I see." He said quietly. Then leaned forward to pose a question. "Is he seeing anyone? Any woman who has caught his eye or fancy?" He added for clarity. He did not doubt that his query would be unexpected.

He saw Ryuukossei perk up from his bored position.

Bokuseno looked surprised. "No," the ancient man answered.

"But there are rumors." Ryuukossei interjected, almost pleased.

Toutousai scoffed. "Don't go giving the boy the wrong idea." He said, puffing on a longpipe.

"I'm not!" Ryuukossei said, indignant. He turned his attention back to Sesshoumaru. "Would you be interested?" He asked, eyes bright. He was always too curious about Sesshoumaru's sexual orientation. Just what was it about Touga's eldest that made him such a veritable ice cube.

"Is he seeing anyone?" Sesshoumaru reiterated.

Ryuukossei flapped a hand. "Just rumors. Nothing that would get in _your_ way if you were interested."

Sesshoumaru's lips thinned.

Having known the boy the longest, Bokuseno was well versed in Sesshoumaru's moods. Despite appearances, the young man was quite impatient. He decided to reply before Sesshoumaru's temper got the better of him.

"There is nothing official, and never would be, about Naraku. There is only the observation that he is closer to a young woman than he should be. But he neither says nor does anything to comply or correct the assumption, just that anyone who gets too close to her, disappears." The elderly man spoke slowly and clearly, and then fell silent, sipping on a glass of water.

Simple, yet concise was how Bokuseno would talk, and when he was finished, he was finished. He would not elaborate further on the matter, and with him being the senior most member, the other three old men listened to him.

The discussion was closed.

Toutousai took the moment to start a new conversation.

"Haa, Myouga, how is the youngster? I haven't heard much about him lately, and he hasn't been bothering me as much either. Always some new merchandise with him."

The tiny man perked up at the new topic. "He's a handful as always." He muttered, shaking his head disapprovingly. "Can't keep his head on one subject for more than five minutes. In fact, he called me not a week back that he would be traveling. Haven't heard from him since."

At this, Sesshoumaru tuned them out. Once those men got off topic, they stayed off topic. He assumed that it was selective senility since if it was about business their minds were as sharp as razors.

He sighed inwardly, and wondered how long this night would take.

Spying movement on his left, he signaled the red-headed waitress to refill his coffee cup. She took it, blushing, and then fled quickly.

Hoping that she hadn't become another of his 'admirers' he turned his attention out toward one of the spacious windows. This town was peaceful, but far from boring, to tell the truth.

-:- -:- -:-

Ayame hurried off, the eavesdropped conversation still ringing in her ears. Just who were those men?

At first she had assumed that they were wash downs from The Beach: old gross perverts. They fit the bill, but then they weren't.

At the same time, they were not nice men. They were scary, powerful, and they spoke of Naraku.

She got a bad feeling about it all. Those men did not speak of Naraku lightly, but it seemed as if they were privy to much information about him, tracing it back to Sounga.

Kouga would have to know, and maybe, from this, they could break Naraku's hold on them.

It was a possibility.

-:- -:- -:-

Outside of _Howl's_, Ryuukossei took Sesshoumaru aside when the other men had ambled off to their respective cars and driven away.

"Here, my boy." He said, pressing a slip of paper into Sesshoumaru's hand. "Just if you're interested. You can call ahead of time and use my name. But next week it's all on me in my area, all right?" He said with a wink.

When Ryuukossei had left, Sesshoumaru opened up the folded paper. Written on it was a name and number.

_Higurashi Naraku, Area: 379-a, Designation #: 0555-0666_

-:- -:- -:-

-:- -:- -:-

-:- -:- -:-

SM: Now that I think about it, was anyone waiting for this? I should probably get cracking on my other things.


End file.
